The Exile's Lament
by RebelPrince204
Summary: Disgusted with his failure, Queen Beryl orders Jedite assassinated when he attempts to kill Sailor Moon. He survives, but is now an exile and failure, no longer welcome among his kind. How will the proud man contend with his only ally being the Scouts?
1. Betrayal

"Jedite." Queen Beryl stated to the bowed blonde figure in front of her glorious throne.

"Majesty." The man was coy and submissive, exactly how her servants should act in her presence.

"You have done a fine job gathering energy from the humans of Earth." Beryl praised. This was a fact that was not in doubt, his efforts at re-awakening Queen Metallia were commendable, and Beryl was nothing if not direct.

"Majesty." Jedite reacted to this news with fear in his voice, and Beryl was not surprised. She knew Jedite was not summoned for mere praise. He was expecting her wrath.

"However, not all of the energy you have gathered managed to make it here. And every-time this is the case, it is because of those three Sailor Scouts, a rather...bothersome enemy despite their appearances, that you have not yet been able to defeat."

"M-Majesty." Jedite started. "Please, allow me..."

"There is nothing to explain, Jedite." Beryl quickly cut off her servant. "Many of our youma have been slain by that trio of girls, including Titus, one of most intelligent and powerful. She was slated for great things, Jedite, and now she is dead. Surely you understand that as powerful as we are, our resources are not limitless, and we cannot afford failure after failure."

"Your Majesty. I can defeat them!" Jedite clenched his fist.

"Can you, now?" Beryl asked. "You don't seem to have been doing that thus far. Perhaps I need to supply you with new motivation. So, here is your mission, Jedite. You will go back, but you will not be gathering any energy. Instead, you will eliminate all three of the Sailor Scouts: Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Moon. That is your only goal. Succeed, Jedite, and I will forgive all of your transgressions, you will keep your command, and, with them out of the picture, greater things will come your way. But if you fail me again, Jedite, there will be no forgiveness for you. There will be nothing, for you shall be locked away in Forever Sleep."

Gasps among the crowd were heard, and some youma even looked away. Beryl understood: Forever Sleep was not a punishment invoked lightly, it was the ultimate penalty. One was sealed away in crystal, and banished to darkness, never again to return.

Beryl could not recall anyone locked away in Forever Sleep were she to wish it. They were effectively dead. It was a punishment worse than death, many reasoned.

"I expect success from you, Jedite, as you no longer have your priorities divided. For your sake, Jedite, I wish you luck. Succeed, and when Queen Metallia awakens, you will be my right hand. Fail, and you will pray that it is Sailor Moon who ends your life." Jedite bowed to his queen's command, and teleported away in a flash of darkness.

There was silence among the crowd for a moment, and Queen Beryl simply sat on her throne and looked at the empty space where Jedite had once stood. She marveled at how far the man had fallen. It was Beryl's personal decision to have Jedite gather energy to awaken Queen Metallia, and it was a task that seemed to suit him well: And until those Sailor Scouts showed up, he performed admirably.

Beryl could understand a mishap or two when gathering energy from the people of Earth: She had no idea what to expect from the planet, and couldn't plan for every eventuality. But enough was enough, and the death of Titus had told Beryl what she had been coming to realize: Jedite's recklessness knew no bounds. He constantly underestimated these Sailor Scouts, even when it was just Sailor Moon alone, and he never planned for their arrival, or, if he did, he planned poorly.

Even were he to succeed at destroying Sailor Moon here, Beryl was uncertain what the future would hold for Jedite. It would certainly make his tasks easier, not to have those meddlers around. But who was to say that someone else wouldn't take Sailor Moon's place and try to stop him? A different person meant different strategies, and Jedite would flounder around and make errors upon errors in order to defeat this new foe.

Beryl couldn't afford that. Her mission was simple: Find the Imperium Silver Crystal, and grant enough energy to Queen Metallia. To accomplish both, she required resources, resources she was rapidly losing while under Jedite's supervision.

"Malachite. Come." Beryl called out her voice once the crowd departed and she was alone, and another man, with long silver hair, teleported in front of her.

"Majesty." Malachite showed the proper deference. He was her most able man, and she reserved him for only the most important assignments

"Jedite has been sent to destroy the Sailor Scouts." Queen Beryl explained.

"They are certainly thorns in our side, Majesty." Malachite replied.

"Speak plainly, Malachite. You have more to say."

"I do not believe Jedite can accomplish such an important task. I believe he will fail."

"I do not believe he will succeed either." Beryl returned. "He will underestimate them."

"If that is the case, why not simply deal with his failure and appoint another to destroy the Scouts. Both myself or Zoicite..."

"Punishing Jedite for his failure makes everyone understand the price of it." Beryl reasoned. "I will do so if that is what it takes. But that would mean the Sailor Scouts would still be out there, ruining our plans. Why not eliminate them all at once?"

"Indeed, Majesty?" Malachite was intrigued.

"I could remove the bothersome do-gooders who ruin my plans, as well as cut my losses with Jedite and prevent his failures. And after they are all gone, I can announce that Jedite gave his life to defeat the Scouts so they would not interfere with our mission. He pledged his service and his life, and I would expect the same level of duty from anyone."

"Astounding, m'queen. So why do you tell me this?"

"Watch from stealth Jedite's battle with the Sailor Scouts. If Jedite falls, eliminate the Scouts while they acknowledge their victory. If he succeeds, do the same to him. And if you see an opportunity to eliminate them all at once, take it. Do you understand, Malachite?" Beryl instructed.

"Yes, m'queen."

"Then we keep this silent until I hear from Jedite."

* * *

Jedite laughed as he thought of his ingenious plan. Without having to think of a method of gathering energy from the simple humans, concentrating his effort on the Sailor Scouts was simple. He would lure them to an airfield, sending a message across the entire city that if they did not show, the entire thing would be burned to the ground. And once the girls showed up, he'd lure them to the runway, where his telekinesis would serve him well, and take control of the many jets located there. Those girls could not survive being run over by a plane: These girls were humans, and humans were such frail creatures.

Security seemed to have been beefed up in response to his message, but that was simple enough. Jedite briefly wondered whether or not those who were not the Sailor Scouts would show up as well. Humans had in insatiable curiosity, and they would risk any danger to quench it, it seemed.

He laughed. Fools. Perhaps, after the Scouts were dead, that would be the next energy he would obtain. Assuming, of course, Beryl didn't assign this gruntwork to someone else, and give him something more suited to her right hand.

Jedite's musings were interrupted when he heard one of the trains moving towards the runway.

"_Who's there?"_ Were they Sailor Scouts, or were they tourists. Jedite teleported close to the train to get a look. There were three teenage girls on the train. Two, a blonde girl and a blue-haired one, were dressed in school uniforms, and the third was a girl he knew, the granddaughter of the owner of the Hikawa Shrine. During one of his plans, he worked as a caretaker at the shrine, and gathered the energy of many a girl who bought a good luck charm there. But this girl somehow divined that he was behind it. Jedite thought he had sucked her into an alternate dimension, out of his hair forever, but now she was back? This bore close consideration.

"_Hmmm...Scout or tourist? Only one way to find out." _Jedite thought. Their train pulled up to the runway terminal. And now, Jedite made his move. He had animated some mud in order to look like fake security guards, and, he'd use them to attack these girls. Tourists would either die or run away. Sailor Scouts would fight them.

The girls started to move away from his puppets, and Jedite briefly wondered if tourist season was opening. And then, the blue-haired girl and the girl from the shrine pulled out two small things from the folds of their clothes. Jedite wasn't close enough to make it out, but it appeared to be something as long as his hand, but thin, like a pen.

"Mercury Power!" The blue haired girl screamed.

"Mars Power!" The shrine girl followed. Jedite watched in astonishment as energy surrounded those two girls, and when it subsided, he was staring right at Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars.

"Incredible!" Jedite marveled. "And what about you, Blondie?" He looked at the other girl, who rubbed the brooch attached to her uniform before shouting "Moon Prism Power."

"_And there they are. Finally. I was getting bored waiting for them_." Sailor Mars made quick work of the mud-guardians, but their purpose was finished anyway. Now was the time for the real battle to begin.

* * *

"Welcome!" Jedite, standing atop the air control tower, called down to the girls.

"Jedite!" Sailor Mars started. "How dare you think you can destroy a city just to find us."

"Your evil ends here!" Sailor Mercury added. "We won't stand for it. For all the people you've hurt, you will answer for it."

"I'm the one you should be afraid of, I am Sailor Moon. And there is no way I'm going to let you succeed in your evil plots anymore. In the name of the moon, I shall punish you!"

"How nice." Jedite smiled. "But I didn't come here for speeches, but for payback. How fast do you think a jet can travel?" He posed to the girls, before he poured his energy into one of the jets nearby, and started to telekinetically steer it towards the Scouts.

"Aaah!" Sailor Moon screamed at the oncoming attack. And well she should. That blonde powder-puff could never survive an attack like this.

The Scouts began to move, and Jedite was prepared for it. He started to move another of the jets to pin them.

"Mars, can't you blow them up?" Sailor Moon eagerly shouted to her teammate as they ran.

"Are you kidding?" Sailor Mars returned incredulously.

"That would be very dangerous." Sailor Mercury added "The fuel in those jets is highly combustible. Be careful not to use your flame attacks!" Jedite laughed. He enjoyed being close enough to the girls to hear them curse their own stupidity. Of course Jedite had selected this airfield, among other reasons, for the fact that it effectively paralyzed one of their stronger fighters. With one crippled, he had effectively reduced the Scouts to half-strength, as the blue-haired one was more tactician than fighter.

"_Let's see you think your way out of..." _Jedite thought before a rose cut across his face.

"You again!" Jedite turned into the direction of the rose, to see that interloping meddler, Tuxedo Mask.

"You think I'll allow you to crush these young girls's..." Tuxedo Mask started, but Jedite was in no mood to listen to him. He always seemed to inspire the Sailor Scouts, made them fight harder. With all his speed, Jedite moved as fast as he could to tackle the offending intruder, and the two fell straight into the sea.

Jedite knew he had to work quickly. Tuxedo Mask's attack stopped his movement of the planes, and he wouldn't be able to concentrate on them when dealing with the offending caped crusader. Trying to punch underwater was a waste of time: the water slowed his fist down enough so that it wouldn't do any damage. So Jedite had to settle for choking him. He did not let go until the man was unresponsive, and Jedite let him go, and watched him sink slowly out of sight.

He emerged from the water smiling wickedly. That meddler had paid the price for his arrogance, and soon, the Scouts would join him.

"Too bad, so sad." He floated up from above the water, glaring evilly at the Scouts, who took tentative steps back from him.

"It seems your masked magician has had his final curtain." Jedite laughed. "And now, it's time for you. I can run you over with the jets, if you like, but if you submit now quietly, I'll make it painless. It's more than a mercy for the agony you've caused me."

"Agony? You creep! You steal people's energy, manipulate their hopes and dreams, and have the nerve to say we cause you agony when you fail?" Sailor Mars was indignant.

"We will never give into you, Jedite!" Sailor Mercury cried. "And you won't be defeating us today or any day!"

"Bold." Jedite admitted. "I think I'll like the idea of squashing you like bugs!" Jedite clasped his hands together, and jumped on top of one of the jets, preparing to use it to run over all of the Sailor Scouts.

"Run, Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mercury called. The scouts all split up.

"Splitting up?" Jedite taunted. "I'll crush you first, Moon girl!" Jedite steered his plane towards where Sailor Moon was running.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury called, and immediately, the area around Jedite was nothing but an obfuscating fog.

"_Dammit." _He thought. These planes had plenty of vertical clearance room, with the exception of their landing gear. This required precision aiming, and now he's have to stop using the jets. He halted his telekinesis, and jumped to the ground.

"Playing hard to get?" Jedite taunted. "Don't think you can escape me!" Jedite stepped towards where Sailor Moon had been running, if she continued on a straight path. As he did so, he heard footsteps behind him. Was that Sailor Mars? He had gone a good bit away from the planes, she could attack him. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the first thing he could see nearby, a wooden crate, and telekinetically flung it towards the footsteps. He heard the crash of wood against flesh, and a woman's sharp cry of pain.

"_Let's finish you off first." _Jedite thought quickly as he reversed direction towards the fallen. The fog from Mercury's bubbles was starting to fade, and Jedite saw, much to his surprise, that Sailor Moon was actually the one hit by the crate. She was conscious, but prone. Sailor Mars, along with Sailor Mercury, were close by, but were in the other direction.

"Sailor Moon!" Mars cried. Jedite knew she would attempt to attack, so he had to move fast. To the side, he noticed large steel drums, sealed, so they had to be full. Thinking quickly, he telekinetically moved one between himself and the two standing Sailor Scouts.

"This drum is full of jet fuel." Jedite mocked. "So go ahead, Sailor Mars. Attack, and blow up your leader!" He stared her down, and Sailor Mars hesitated. She would not attack. Jedite laughed as he moved two more barrels to join the third. In truth, Jedite had no idea what was inside them, they could very easily have been holding ordinary water. But this bluff would serve until Sailor Moon was dead. After that, it didn't matter. The rest would fall easily.

"Watch your powerlessness!" Jedite taunted as he stepped up towards Sailor Moon, who's eyes shimmered with fear. Jedite prepared to deliver a fatal strike to Sailor Moon, but then he heard the sound of something moving through the air, something moving towards him. But it wasn't coming from the injured Sailor Moon, nor from the other two Sailor Scouts: The angle was wrong. Jedite looked upward just in time to take an energy blast to the face.

"Agh!" Jedite was knocked down, but quickly, he got back up.

"What was that?" Sailor Mars asked, looking around frantically.

"_That blast came from..." _Jedite looked in the direction the blast originated from: the planes, and saw a familiar figure standing right underneath them. It was a man with long silver hair.

"Who are you?" Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury drew into battle stances. But Jedite knew who this man was.

"Malachite!" Jedite called. "What are you doing here?"

"A mission." The man answered, as stoically as always. "But first, I'm here to deliver a message."

"A message?" Jedite questioned. "This is hardly the time for a message. I'm about to kill Sailor Moon!"

"We'll never let you hurt her!" Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury started running towards Jedite.

"You hope to stop me with your bare hands?" Jedite laughed. "Fine, come. I'll kill all of you at once." Jedite challenged. Sailor Mars rushed at him and attempted to kick him in the face. Jedite calmly raised his hand to create a psychic barrier to block such a feeble attack. Sailor Mars bounced against it and toppled to the ground.

"Sailor Mars!" Sailor Mercury stopped her run to watch her teammate.

"Well done, Jedite." Malachite praised. "All the Scouts have lined up in a row."

"If you think you're taking the credit for this, Malachite, you have another thing coming. And why were you attacking me anyway? Trying to kill Sailor Moon first?"

"As I said, I am completing my mission." Malachite answered plainly.

"And what mission would that be."

"Queen Beryl has ordered me to kill the Sailor Scouts." Malachite replied. "And to dispose of...another problem."

"Another?" Jedite replied. "Destroying the Sailor Scouts is my job!"

"Was your job. You're no longer needed, failure. Queen Beryl has ordered your death. Now, perish." And Malachite quickly launched a wave of energy towards Jedite.

"Whoa!" Jedite jumped to avoid the attack. "Have you gone insane, Malachite, I'm completing Beryl's orders."

"No, I'm completing them. You are a failure, Jedite, and your only purpose now is martyr." Malachite launched two more waves, one at Jedite, and the other at Sailor Mercury. Both ducked to avoid them.

"Perfect." Malachite quickly attacked again, but his attack was not aimed at either Jedite or the Scouts. Instead, he shot three separate blasts to immolate the three barrels Jedite had used to prevent Sailor Mars from attacking.

Jedite's eyes widened in horror as they easily caught flame. So they did actually have jet fuel in them.

"Goodbye, failure." Malachite teleported away from view.

"Malachite, you..." Jedite wasn't certain of what to do. Did Beryl really order his execution? But he was defeating the Sailor Scouts, and would have accomplished it.

A loud explosion prompted Jedite out of his thoughts as one of the barrels exploded. Sailor Mercury was far enough away from the barrel that it did little to her, but Jedite was standing so close it propelled him backwards He slammed against the wall of what appeared to be a tarmac, and he screamed in pain as he collided with it. He attempted to get to his feet, but he had was ringing, and he leaned against the building for balance.

* * *

"_These Sailor Scouts are formidable_, _Queen Beryl had warned me_. _I'd best not take chances._" Malachite thought as he quickly surveyed the airfield, hovering overhead. The Scouts were bunched together near the edge of the runway near the water, and Jedite was struggling for balance against a building. Those barrels Jedite had used were combustible, and they contained fuel for the airliners, which meant the jets themselves were quite the hazards. Jedite had been using three of them to attempt to mow down the Scouts: A grandiose and silly tactic befitting the one who came up with it: The simpler way would have been to lay an ambush using the fuel, then ignite it when the Scouts were too far away to escape.

"Let me show you the proper way to eliminate these cretins." Malachite said aloud, but not to anyone, as he swiftly blasted all three of the airliners with an attack. He also saw that Jedite was quite near more of the green barrels, and flung down another attack. Malachite hovered higher as the airfield began to erupt in explosions.


	2. Battle's Aftermath

Sailor Mercury was only briefly disoriented by the explosions thanks to their distance from her. She quickly touched her earring, and her visor went over her face.

While the barrels of fuel that were ignited were far enough away to mean little to Mercury, this strange new enemy, Malachite was what Jedite had called him, had also blasted the planes, which could erupt into fireballs at any minute.

Sailor Mars had already gotten to her feet, and the two of them helped up their fallen leader.

"Are you alright?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"Fine...Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon immediately looked towards the water. There was nothing there. Sailor Mercury could quickly see the depression in her face.

"His rose isn't there." Sailor Mercury replied. "Maybe he got away while we were fighting." Sailor Mercury knew, for all intents and purposes, that it was probably a lie: the rose was probably just taken away by the current. But those planes could blow at any second, and they needed Sailor Moon not to be distracted by depression.

"How are we getting out of here?" Sailor Mars asked. Sailor Mercury looked around: The trains were no longer working, so they couldn't head back to the main airport building. The only other way out was the water.

"It's either borrow one of those motorboats or swim." She quickly devised. A loud explosion from over towards one of the tarmacs jolted the Scouts.

"This place isn't going to hold up much longer!" Sailor Mercury returned. She prepared to dive in the water, but before she could, something hit the ground not far from her and rolled towards the Scouts.

"It's Jedite!" Mars quickly realized.

"What happened? One minute he was beating us and the next he's being targeted by his allies." Mercury wondered.

"Who cares?" Mars returned. "This place is going down and he's our...what are you doing, Serena?" Mars was amazed when she looked towards her leader, for Sailor Moon bent down in front of the man.

"He's still breathing!" Sailor Moon remarked. Sailor Mercury was surprised too, although, given that Jedite, with all his fancy powers, wasn't exactly human, perhaps thinking perfectly logically wouldn't be the best course of action when it came to Jedite's health.

While he may have been breathing, he wasn't in very good shape. His clothes were in tatters and his skin was covered in burns and blisters.

"Okay, so he's alive." Mars stated quickly. "Let's get out of here!"

"And what about him, Raye? We can't just leave him here, he won't survive."

"Have you gone completely daft, you idiot? He's our enemy! En-e-my. He's tried to kill us all how many times now?"

"So why did they try to kill him?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Probably because he hasn't been killing us yet. Let's not stick around and correct his work!"

"Can we fix him up at the temple?"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this! We're in the middle of a blazing inferno and the only thing on your mind is to save the Negaverse's number one toady?" Sailor Mars screamed.

"He's not with them anymore. He's not our enemy anymore."

"Who's to say this isn't their plan?"

"You two, enough!" Sailor Mercury said. "We need to leave now!"

"Sounds good, hop on in!" A male voice called from over at the water. Sailor Mercury turned around to see Tuxedo Mask, starting the engine of a motorboat.

"Tuxedo Mask, you're all right!" Sailor Moon cheered. Sailor Mercury jumped onto the boat.

"Come on!" Sailor Mars called to Sailor Moon, who was struggling to carry Jedite.

"Leave him, let's go!" Sailor Mars insisted.

"We're not leaving him!" Sailor Moon returned with equal force.

"Mercury, talk some sense into her." Sailor Mars called to the Scout on the boat. Mercury jumped back onto the runway and ran straight for Sailor Moon.

"Come on, let's do it like this." Sailor Mercury helped Sailor Moon prop Jedite onto her back. While Jedite definitely had to have weighed more than she did, his higher center of gravity would allow her to move to the boat with less difficulty.

"What's going on!" Sailor Mars asked.

"This is faster. Now run!" Mercury returned.

"I can't believe this." Mars sighed as she got in.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask hit the gas on the motorboat, and the Scouts were far enough away from the runway so that when the explosions started, they were not affected.

"I hope no one was close to those." Sailor Moon sat down, exhausted. "How did you get safe, Tuxedo Mask?"

"Once I saw Jedite swim to the surface, that was my chance. Luckily, he was too distracted by you three. Why did you save him, anyway?"

"When we were fighting, some other guy from the Negaverse attacked him." Sailor Moon explained. Tuxedo Mask was mute on the matter.

"That loving heart of yours and your faith in others is your greatest weapon, Sailor Moon. Trust in yourself to do what's right."

"Thanks!" Sailor Moon replied cheerfully. She caught Sailor Mars's blank stare, and ignored it.

Yes, Jedite was their enemy, and whatever his ultimate plan was, he was hurting innocent people to accomplish it. She had no problem standing against Queen Beryl and any of her underlings. But if she had Jedite attacked like this, either Beryl was really bad at commanding her troops, or she decided Jedite wasn't a part of her group any longer. Without that, what reason did Sailor Moon have to fight him?

She was sure that Amy and Raye would understand. Eventually. Fierce fighters though they were, this was about morals and doing what was right, and leaving an injured man to die was wrong.

They would see, soon. Sailor Moon knew they would see the truth.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask drove the girls to shore, and it was a short walk to the Hikawa Shrine. Sailor Mercury and Mars were able to drag him back to the shrine.

It was late when the girls got back.

"It's good we don't have school tomorrow." Amy replied once the Scouts had de-transformed. Serena and Raye removed what was left of Jedite's jacket and shirt.

"Mercury, how bad is it?" Serena asked while Raye went to fetch some bandages. Now that she had the time, Amy could survey the unconscious general.

Jedite's body was covered in green blood, and most of the burns appeared to be second-degree. They should have been a lot more serious, were Jedite human. He was breathing unassisted, she could feel a pulse in his neck.

"We could probably treat this. He'll probably be laid up for a while. Serena, what do you plan to do with him?"

"Treat him, of course." Serena answered.

"He'll need a place to recuperate, and do you honestly think Raye will allow it? He can't stay with me, and you don't have the space either."

"I'm sure Raye will understand." Serena replied.

"We could use this to our advantage, you know. We should question Jedite when he wakes up, see what our enemy's true plans are, how they will accomplish them. Enemy strength and whatnot."

"I think that's a fantastic idea." A familiar voice came from the open window. Serena and Amy looked up to discover Luna standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Luna. How did you get here?" Serena asked.

"I was worried when I heard that the airport had exploded on the news. Your entire family woke up and started panicking. Thank goodness your mother remembered that lie you told and said you'd be at Raye's." Luna spoke as she jumped down to the floor. She looked over at Jedite.

"That's definitely Jedite." She noted. "Would someone explain why he is here."

"Tell me while you're at it." Raye entered with bandages. Serena explained the story to Luna while Amy and Raye wrapped Jedite's torso in the bandages.

"As I said earlier, interrogating him would be a sound course of action. I only know so much about their plans. This could be a golden opportunity to see what their future plans are and how to stop them." Luna delivered.

"It would be in our best interest." Amy agreed.

"I still say our best interest involves a tall cliff and a shove." Raye pointed out.

"Raye!" Serena returned.

"He's a bad guy, Serena. And he knows our secret identities. Who's to say he won't kill us as soon as our backs are turned."

"From what I know of Queen Beryl, I strongly doubt she'd welcome him back even if he did do that." Luna answered. "The woman is cold and remorseless, and if she was willing to kill him like you said, she'd be more than willing to do it again. I believe our best course of action is to wait until he comes too, find out what Queen Beryl knows, and formulate a plan to counteract her. Perhaps it can help us find the Moon Princess, or the Imperium Crystal."

"Well, someone's gotta stay up and keep watch then." Raye sighed. "It's not gonna be me, I've got chores in the morning." And Raye exited without another word.

"Luna, what do you think we should ask?" Amy asked the cat. The two began conversing, but it became quickly apparent that Serena was not paying attention to the two of them.

"Serena, it might actually be important for you to pay attention to this." Luna lectured.

"Hm?" Serena asked.

"Serena!"

"I know I should. But...I...he was betrayed by Beryl and everyone he knew."

"What could we expect, Queen Beryl is twisted and evil, she probably only keeps her minions around until she doesn't need them anymore, then gets rid of them."

"He must be all alone in the world."

"Serena, this is hardly the time to be sympathizing. Jedite could still try to come after us, and since he knows who we are, our families are in danger too."

Serena was about to respond to that, when she heard a gasp. Serena, Amy, and Luna all turned to see Jedite was twitching, gasping. A minute later, his eyes started to open.


	3. Kindness and Interrogation

Jedite wasn't exactly sure what exactly had happened. The last thing he could remember was the explosions. He could still hear them in his head.

He realized he was laying down, but he did not feel like he was lying on pavement. It felt soft on his back. There were bright lights above him. Was it day already, was he out that long?

Jedite tried to open his eyes, but the lights were so bright he had to squint. Eventually, he made out that he was staring at a ceiling. So, he was in a building. Definitely a human building.

He tried to sit up, but his entire body reacted with immense pain. He wouldn't be able too. The best he could manage was to turn on his side, although even that caused a great deal of pain. However, pain was soon an abstract, for staring back at him were the two human girls in the school uniforms. The disguised Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury.

"You!" Jedite reacted with anger. He tried to move towards them, but pain immediately shot through his arms again.

The girl that was Sailor Moon reacted with worry at hearing his moans. Sailor Mercury was more subdued.

"Don't strain yourself!" The blonde said in a kind voice.

"What are you planning?" Jedite could do little more than talk in an angry voice, but he certainly did that.

"Are you all right?" She asked. The question threw Jedite for a loop.

"What are you going to do? Is this an interrogation? I'm not talking, so just kill me, I'll never betray Queen Beryl."

"It seems she doesn't feel that way." Blue Hair returned. "You certainly weren't spared anything."

"I have nothing to say to you." Jedite spat out.

"Tell me, Jedite. Who was that man who attacked?" She continued. Jedite answered with silence.

"Amy, this isn't the time for this. It's only been a few hours." Blondie returned.

"Serena..." The girl called Amy returned. Blondie, Serena, sat close to Jedite.

"Are you feeling better?" Serena asked, again with a kind voice.

"_Oh, you're a good interrogator." _Jedite thought. The best companion to hurts were kindnesses, got people to really loosen up. But he was immune, he knew her tricks. He refused to speak.

Amy asked another question, but Jedite wasn't listening. He was no coward, no weakling. He wasn't going to submit to questioning, and he'd endure any torture they could come up with. Jedite knew the price for treason, and he was no traitor.

A second later, Jedite recalled that the price for treason was the same as the price that Malachite had delivered across Jedite's face. He ignored the girls and touched his face where the attack was. He could feel no burn or wound, not that he expected too, but he could still see when he shut his eyes that attack by Malachite. The knifelike slash of his mouth, the look he had when performing his duties, the direct condemnation, despite the fact that he was two seconds from killing Sailor Moon. And, there was the word failure.

No word to Jedite hurt more than the word "failure." Becoming a high ranked general always gathered scorn from the others who did not succeed. They called him sycophant, toady. One display of his powers would shut them up, but the rumors would fly.

"_I am no failure. I had them! Malachite...Malachite just...he wanted to do it himself. Or knock me out so Zoicite could take the kills. I know about those two, they'll do anything like that. Even defy Beryl. They'd think she wouldn't care as long as the Scouts were killed." _Jedite's justification in his head made him feel better.

"_Beryl was frustrated, but she'll know. She'll know Malachite intervened. And if I can get those Scouts later, all will be well. Malachite will be disciplined harshly for this mistake!" _

_

* * *

_

"Your wish is done, Majesty." Malachite bowed before his queen. "I detonated the entire airfield. The Sailor Scouts and Jedite are no more."

"Excellent, Malachite!" Beryl returned. "Now we can concentrate on our missions."

"Indeed." Malachite replied. "Perhaps Zoicite would be better suited for gathering energy."

"Zoicite is too inexperienced. I think I'll have Nephrite take control of Jedite's mission. Nephrite, come!" Beryl called. A swirl of energy appeared behind Malachite, and a tall man with long brown hair bowed to his Queen.

"Nephrite, Jedite engaged Sailor Moon in combat earlier this evening, and both he and the Scouts have perished. I am now putting you in charge of collecting energy for Queen Metallia."

"Indeed, Majesty."

'You better have a good plan, Nephrite. I am down one general and our plans have not been progressing forward quickly enough.

"I do, your Majesty."

"You will start tomorrow morning. Inform me then. Malachite, you are dismissed as well."

"Yes, Majesty." Both men disappeared from sight. Beryl sighed for just a moment. How could things have come to this? How could Jedite have fallen so far? Were there other options?

And as quickly as it came, the epiphany left her. Jedite's failure was that he was incapable. Beryl had given him much, and he squandered it on his own sense of self-importance. He had forgotten his place as subordinate to Beryl, who was subordinate herself to Queen Metallia. His pride cost him the chance for success. And now, it cost him his life. Unfortunate, but if there was one thing Jedite had total control over, it was himself. He paid the price for nothing more than his arrogance.

* * *

Jedite drifted in and out of consciousness so much, he had no idea of the time when he awoke long enough to be coherent of his surroundings. He was certain he was at the Hikawa Shrine, where that girl who was Sailor Mars lived.

Jedite could always hear someone in the room, but he wasn't conscious long enough to ascertain who it was. His body was still in a great deal of pain, but he managed to sit up. There was daylight coming through the window, so he had to have been out for several hours.

"Oh, you're finally awake." That girl Serena was sitting at the table nearby, and addressed him with that same warm personality she always did. Jedite also noticed that the temple girl was also present. She, however, was completely silent, and seemed none too pleased to see him.

Jedite was fine with the silence, he wasn't going to talk to them anyway.

"Are you feeling better?" Serena asked. Jedite did not answer.

"Are you hungry?" Serena asked. While Jedite was, in fact, hungry, he certainly would not admit that to anyone else.

"You feel like talking?" The dark-haired shrine girl asked.

"You're wasting your time asking me questions, and as far as interrogations go, this isn't very effective." Jedite commented dismissively. "What else should I expect?"

"Expect? Hello, genius, look at our track record. If we're bad, you're worse." Shrine Girl replied.

"I was about to kill you before Malachite interfered." Jedite replied.

"And you lost how many other times?"

"Raye, enough!": Serena shouted. "We don't have to fight anymore."

"I am your enemy." Jedite replied. "For a superhero, you certainly are stupid."

"We don't have to." Serena echoed. "She betrayed you. That means you don't have to follow her anymore."

That couldn't be true. Beryl would not betray him. But he couldn't talk about friction to these Sailor Scouts. That would inspire them, and jeopardize the mission.

"You wanna clam up, fine, but face it, you're a loser and a failure and Beryl was throwing you out with yesterday's garbage. The only reason you're even alive now is because our leader took sympathy on you, a choice I think she still shouldn't have made!" Raye remarked

"Raye!" Serena was aghast. "I think I can handle this on my own."

"Fine job you've been doing." Raye muttered under her breath, but she exited. Jedite was amazed at how brazen this Raye, whom he know knew was Sailor Mars, was to her leader. If he had ever spoken that way to Beryl, he would have been horribly punished.

"Ignore her, she...she doesn't understand." Serena said sadly. She excused herself for a moment and returned with a boiling hot kettle.

"Do you drink tea?" Serena asked. From start to finish, this girl was incredibly polite, and it made no sense to Jedite at all. This was Sailor Moon, who annihilated youma left and right?

He supposed that it was possible she was a different person outside of battle, but this was unreal. They were foes. Did she invite all of her foes to tea?

The girl then started to cut some sort of fruit: Jedite thought it was an orange or a tangerine; she skinned and sliced them carefully into slivers. She arranged the plate in front of Jedite.

"Eat up." She offered, placing the tray in front of him.

"You think I'm that brainless?" Jedite snarled. "That I'll accept charity from my enemy?"

"We're not enemies. And it's not poison or anything. Watch." And Sailor Moon ate one of the fruit pieces and drank some tea, straight out of the cup she offered Jedite.

"I didn't think it was poison." Jedite remarked.

"So what's wrong?"

"What is your angle?" Jedite questioned.

"You're injured, and you're not going to get better without nutrition. At least, that's what my mom says."

"Have you forgotten that I was two seconds away from killing you?"

"Weren't you working for Queen Beryl?" Serena reversed. "You were only after me because of her, right? Well, now that she's not around, what reason do we have to fight. It's not like you can go back there or anything if she wants you dead."

"I am no failure!" Jedite protested. "I am the great general Jedite, and I will...agh!" There was intense muscle guarding in Jedite's chest and he had to lay back down.

"Oh my!" Serena moved over, but Jedite, between the pain and his labored breathing, could barely hear her.

Delirium began to overtake him, but just before he passed out, he could feel a cool, damp cloth on his forehead.

"_Now what was that girl doing?" _Was his final thought before unconsciousness.


	4. Barely Held Together

In an abandoned cathedral outside of town, Nephrite concentrated intently. The movement of the stars controlled everything, and, at certain points in their lives, people would simply have more energy. With the right push, Nephrite could entice them to expend their energy on a single task that they followed or were devoted to. Once the energy reached it's peak, it could be harvested, harvested through a youma created by such negative energy.

Jedite was such a fool. He thought only of hordes of people when it came to energy. It could be gathered in such a way, but this was more...precise. Efficient. And there was less of a chance that Sailor Moon and her cronies could interfere. A busload of people going missing would draw the attention of a superhero, while a person attacking their life's work more vigorously shouldn't cause alarm. Humans were supposed to be obsessive with their hobbies.

Although what did that matter? According to Queen Beryl, Jedite and the three Sailor Scouts had already perished during their battle. While she might have been gone, Nephrite knew to remain vigilant. Sailor Moon may have been the only one who interfered, but that didn't mean someone else couldn't take up the reins.

* * *

The next time Jedite stayed conscious enough to remember everything that happened, it was dark outside. Sitting up this time did not hurt as much as the others, and, he was able to survey the room.

There was no one here. Were these Scouts that lax in their duties? Who left a prisoner without at least two guards?

He sighed. He might as well have taken advantage of the silence. The cup of tea that Serena had brewed was sitting right in front of him, along with the sliced orange. Jedite looked around to make sure no one was watching, and partook in a little refreshment. Never show weakness to an enemy, but all creatures required sustenance, and Jedite was no exception.

The tea was not very good, but, considering that it had been hours or so since it was poured, it had gone completely cold. The fruit itself was not too bad, nothing Jedite had ever had before. Food wasn't some miracle panacea to cure all ails, but having something in his stomach definitely helped.

He heard footsteps coming towards him, and Jedite wondered who it could be. He quickly lay back down to hear the door open.

"And that's what happened at the tennis court today." Serena's voice said.

"So Katie still hasn't left? That isn't healthy." Amy's voice returned.

"Molly says Katie would sometimes do things like that, but not this late. She's a little worried. Good evening, Jedite, I see you're awake." Serena addressed the soldier, Jedite simply stared back at her.

"Perhaps this is what Luna meant when she said the battle isn't over. Perhaps the Negaverse could be behind Katie." Amy addressed Serena.

"Could be. Serena replied. Were they going to discuss strategy right in front of him? Did they truly think so little, that he wouldn't just report back to Queen Beryl?

"Hey, look at that. The tea and some of the orange disappeared." Serena remarked. "Oh, Jedite, you could eat the whole thing if you wanted."

"You must be mistaken. Perhaps that grandfather came in looking for a snack." Jedite answered bluntly.

"Well then, eat up. It's just gonna go bad." Serena replied. She looked at him, with pleading eyes, as she held the tray up.

For a second, Jedite thought to ignore her, as he always did. But his stomach was beginning to rumble, and she'd just keep insisting. So, he sat up, and ate another piece.

"Progress." Serena replied. Jedite ate very neatly the pieces of fruit.

"Jedite, I strongly doubt Queen Beryl will stop gathering energy simply because you are no longer doing it. Who would be the most likely candidate for doing so, and will his or her method be different from yours?" Amy asked. Her questions were very intelligent and put together, but Jedite was not going to listen to that.

"I thought I told you questioning me was a waste of time." Jedite replied. Amy was not phased, but said nothing else.

"Jedite, you no longer..." Serena started.

"Owe her allegiance?" He finished. "You may have rescued me, but I'm not about to start betraying her because I am asked a question."

"Jedite, these people betrayed you. You don't have to defend them." Amy pointed out.

"I was not betrayed. It was a showboating case of jealousy. That's all you'll get from me." Jedite replied tersely. Serena and Amy were taken aback.

"Would you like some more tea, or fruit?" Serena asked.

"No." Jedite replied. "No, I do not." Jedite started to feel the dull throb of his torso, the pain was starting to come back. He lay back down, and, for the first time, fell asleep rather then simply passing out from the pain. His head stopped swimming, and he actually felt like he was resting.

* * *

Serena watched for a moment as Jedite slept. He wasn't coughing or sputtering, gasping in pain like he was before, he was actually sleeping. Peacefully.

"Serena." Amy replied from across the table.

"Yes?"

"We're going to have to decide quickly what to do with Jedite." She remarked. "He's not willing to cooperate, and that makes him an unknown quantity."

"According to Luna, she doesn't think he can go back to the Negaverse."

"Luna might be right." Amy reasoned. "But he still knows our identities, and that information could be dangerous in the wrong hands."

"It's not like he can give it to Queen Beryl or anything." Serena replied.

"Serena, I know you're trying to help him, but I don't think Jedite wants our help. I doubt he even understands that Queen Beryl wanted him killed."

"I think he does." Serena replied. "He just doesn't want to admit it. It can't be easy. I mean, he can teleport and stuff and he hasn't gone back to Queen Beryl. That has to mean something." Amy did not have a response for that.

"Well, tomorrow is a school day, Serena. We should study now. Jedite's asleep now, we can watch him and study at the same time." And Amy opened her books, while Serena only groaned first. A surefire way to fall asleep was to announce anything related to schoolwork.

* * *

It was still dark when Jedite awoke. Much to his surprise, he didn't feel bad when he woke up. There was still a number of aches and pains in his body, but he was able to sit up without making a single groan of protest.

It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the low light: the only illumination being the moon outside through the open windows. Jedite was not alone in this room: Both Serena and Amy were here. And they were both asleep, not having been woken up by Jedite himself.

Jedite sat up for a moment and looked around the room. In between Serena and Amy was another plate of a skinned orange. And lying on the tray with the remaining pieces was a fruit knife.

Jedite stretched out his hand to pick up the object. Even in this dim light, Jedite could tell it was quite sharp. Raye took care of her things, Jedite knew that for a fact. It glinted in the moonlight, and then Jedite could see Serena's back.

A knife this sharp, with Jedite's strength, could easily slip right in her back. Cover her mouth, twist the knife, the girl would be dead without a peep. And then, he could move on to Amy, sitting right there.

It was late: Raye would be asleep in her own room. It was right down the hall, Jedite still remembered when he stayed here as caretaker. A quick trip, and all three Sailor Scouts would be gone. He could take the little wands and that brooch they used, and bring them as trophies to Queen Beryl. The power those items emitted would be proof enough that Jedite was the one who collected them. She'd know that Malachite failed in his mission, and he'd regain everything he lost. Beryl would punish Malachite, and reward him for defeating these Scouts. It would be so easy. One, two three.

Jedite looked towards Serena, Sailor Moon. She was snoring, but not aware of her surroundings.

"_This is too simple." _Jedite thought. He held the knife handle firmly, and Jedite could feel no pain.

He looked again at Serena, blissfully unaware of the man that would kill her, right above her. She snored, she muttered, but she did not notice him at all.

He looked to the knife, and then at Serena's back. He drew his elbow back, prepared to strike.

"_Are you all right?" _He heard Serena's voice ask him in that sweet voice she had, that sweet voice that belied any sort of alternate agenda.

"_You'll never get better if you don't have nutrition." _He recalled her saying, and remembered her offering him tea and fruit.

"_You're not my enemy." _Was a phrase that continued to echo in his head. His hand was starting to tremble, followed by his entire body. Was he hesitating? How could he hesitate? This was simple. She'd be gone forever, and the others would follow. Everything would be as it should.

Jedite's foot brushed against something damp. He looked on the ground and noticed a wet cloth lying next to the bed.

"_What was this?" _Jedite held it in his hand. And then he remembered, before he slipped unconscious earlier, that something was placed on his forehead. She must have put this damp cloth on his forehead to help him feel better.

Serena, Sailor Moon, his enemy, had showed Jedite more kindness and respect than Beryl ever did. Beryl would only berate him, or mock him. She gave him command, but little else.

Jedite put the knife back on the plate carefully so as not to make a sound. He was trembling too much: he could hurt himself. As he was putting it back, he noticed a small, round object sitting next to the plate, roughly the size of Jedite's palm. He picked it up. He had seen human women with this before, but he didn't know what it was for.

"_There was something about the bottom." _He thought, and noticed the bottom had a little hooked clasp. He triggered it, and found it opened. The bottom was full of some powder Jedite had no desire to touch. The top was a mirror.

The mirror showed Jedite his own face, as all mirrors would do to him. It had been the first time he saw it since the accident. His hair was greasy, and in disarray. One of his earrings was missing. His skin was oily.

Jedite looked down at his own body. He was covered in bandages from hip to the middle of his chest, as well as another set of bandages wrapped around his shoulder. They were somewhat bloody, and sticky. He was still wearing the pants of his uniform, but they were sticky with blood as well.

The man in the mirror was not a proud general of the Negaverse. He was a failure, a broken wretch of a man beaten by a bunch of schoolgirls, who had the audacity to rescue him.

Beryl did not believe in this fool, sending Malachite was an action that fit her to a T. She preferred her hands unsullied. Zoicite or Malachite would have sent a youma, not a general. Beryl didn't want him, Beryl considered him trash.

Jedite couldn't convince the man in the mirror he was a capable general. He couldn't convince him that he was anything more than a pathetic, ridiculous failure. Destined to be cast aside, used, and then destroyed.

He sighed. What was left for him now? No one would come to rescue him, he'd be slain the second he returned, and if Beryl caught wind that he'd survived, she would send monsters after him. He was in no shape to fight in this condition.

Jedite closed the mirror, and put it back where he found it. He sat up in his bed, leaned against the wall. He needed to think.

He wasn't sure what answers he had by morning, when the birds started chirping outside. It looked to be a lovely day. Normally, such lovely days were perfect for gathering energy: The humans would be eager to go out and do something.

Serena yawned from her seat.

"Oh goodness, did we fall asleep, Amy?" Serena shook Amy awake.

"Erm..." Amy gently awoke. "Oh! We feel asleep studying." Amy looked at her watch. "Thank goodness it's still early. We won't be late for school."

"Oh, Amy, we can just play hooky today, can't we?" Serena tried to sweet-talk.

"Absolutely not, Serena, school is important." Amy remarked. "We should at least call our parents and let them know we were over here, they must be worried."

"Yeah, right now they're having breakfast without me. And knowing Mom, it's the one day she makes my favorite." Serena moped. That's when the two noticed Jedite was sitting upright.

"Oh! Jedite! Were you awake this whole time?" Serena asked, blushing a little.

"Yes." He replied.

"Are...are you alright?" Serena asked with that same warm concern. "You look so sad."

"I surrender." Jedite remarked.

"Huh?" Amy was confused.

"I cast the white flag, or however you humans say it. I'm powerless, there's nothing I can do. Do whatever you want with me." Jedite replied. The words were not easy to say, and even harder to hear coming from his mouth, but they were the truth. He was the failure, the unwanted, and he had no reason to resist the Sailor Scouts anymore.

He would have expected them to laugh, or rejoice. A broken enemy was nothing if not humorous.

But Serena sat next to him on the bed.

"I'm glad you understand we're not enemies. But perk up, you're not going to recover when your depressed. That's another of my mom's secrets."

"I'm surprised, you're not jumping for an interrogation?"

"I didn't save you because I wanted your information. It was the right thing to do. And this still isn't an interrogation. If you want to tell us or don't, that's fine. What's important is we both want you to feel better. So get some rest, okay. And we can talk later."

Amy didn't say anything, perhaps there was nothing to add. But Jedite lay back down, and he felt a lot lighter as he began to rest.


	5. Walking on Daggers

Jedite rested for most of the day. It was quiet, no sound but the birds. The Hikawa Shrine was such a peaceful place.

Jedite knew that Raye lived here with her grandfather, but Raye was a schoolgirl herself, and the grandfather never entered the room. What, exactly, would Raye have told him? It might be worthwhile to ask them.

Jedite didn't feel any better about his lot in life after resting though. He had absolutely nothing besides the Scouts. Nowhere to go, nothing to do? While being injured now would preclude anything else, Jedite knew how he got when he was anxious and had nothing to do.

The three girls, all dressed in their school clothes, came in around late afternoon.

"Hey, there, Jedite, feeling better?" Serena asked pleasantly.

"Yes, thank you." Jedite deigned to use his manners.

"If you don't mind, Jedite, I'd like to ask you a few questions." Amy noted. She was holding a black cat with a crescent moon shape on her forehead. Jedite had seen that creature before. Wasn't it a talking cat?

"Let's start with something simple. Jedite, who would be the person gathering energy at this point?" The cat spoke, and answered Jedite's unspoken question.

"There's three options, although one is unlikely." Jedite answered. "If I had to guess, I'd say the person who would be handling things now is Nephrite."

"Can you tell me anything on his tactics?" Amy asked.

"Little, I'm afraid. We tended to all work on our own. I found his methods...inefficient."

"How so?" Amy asked.

"Nephrite is an astrologer, and he believes that the movement of the stars controls how much energy a human can have. He's also...more hands-off. He'll nudge at first, but then he'll observe from a distance."

"So...like that thing with Katie..." Serena started. She proceeded to inform Jedite of a friend of hers, an avid player of tennis, who started hitting her sport in full-force.

"It has the hallmarks." Jedite explained. "Although even if I was to go there, I doubt we'd see him now. Do you...recall her meeting someone, speaking to someone, or buying something, before this happened."

"No, she was at her match and...wait, there was!" Serena exclaimed. "There was some rich guy who she played against who was really good. What was his name...oh, I'd have to ask Molly."

"Good job, Serena!" Raye criticized. "Forget the one important thing that could stop us from him attacking again!"

"Well it's not like I knew he was a bad guy at the time!" Serena returned.

"New guy equals weird!" Raye returned.

"I doubt fighting over it will help." Jedite criticized them. These were the Sailor Scouts? It was still hard to believe.

"Yes, Jedite's right. Let's focus on this Nephrite now." The cat replied.

"Yeah, I'll go check on Molly." Serena stood up. "And Jedite, thanks for your help." She smiled warmly before leaving. Jedite smiled briefly.

"Jedite, I think there are a few other questions I could ask as well." The cat replied.

"Well, I said I'd tell you what I know."

"Such as the Imperium Silver Crystal. Does Queen Beryl know anything about it?"

"I've heard her mention it a number of times, and that it was used by the Queen of the Moon in ages past, but I don't know anything else about it. Queen Beryl does want it. Why I couldn't say." Jedite answered.

"I see. Well, at least our enemies don't know where it is." The cat shrugged.

"If I may, I'd like to ask something. I would like a private place to remove these bandages."

"Private?" Raye asked.

"And some water to clean myself off, if I could."

"I suppose we can arrange that. Raye?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, yeah. You know where the bath is, Jedite." Raye replied, somewhat sourly.

"If you ladies will excuse me." Jedite did know where to go, and he stood up and excused himself.

* * *

"Raye, is something wrong?" Amy asked.

"You mean aside from the fact that our once greatest enemy is staying in my home?" Raye replied.

"Raye, as hard as it was for me to swallow it, Jedite isn't our enemy, and he's being very forthcoming with what we've asked."

"I know." Raye admitted. "But it's hard to swallow that the same guy who wanted nothing more than to annihilate us and everything in the universe is sleeping down the hall, or that he's changed. It's a big change."

"Big, yes, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Jedite will prove himself, I'm certain."

"Yeah, but he's staying here, with me. And Grandpa, and as tough as Gramps is, Jedite could hurt him if he wanted to. Now I'm going to make sure nothing's fishy." Raye stood up to follow where Jedite had gone. He didn't shut the door all the way, so Raye was able to take a peek in. On his knees, Jedite carefully started to unwrap his bandages. They were a sticky, disgusting green color from his blood. His back was covered in lines of scars spidering all across.

Jedite soaked a cloth in water and began to rub his wounds, and Raye could hear his wincing as he did so. It almost made Raye feel sad, for a moment. He seemed so lonely, and lost. The feeling passed though, as Raye looked down the hall, where her grandpa's room was. Having this man in her home made her nervous, simply because she worried so for him. Raye was certain Amy, or even Serena would feel the same way if it was their family who lived here.

Jedite was very quiet as he washed his wounds, aside from the gasping and wincing noises. Raye had to look away when he started to remove his pants and treat his legs. Nervous as she was, she would not allow herself to be so rude.

She returned to Amy in Jedite's room.

"Everything all right?" Amy asked.

"Yes." Raye replied, almost begrudgingly.

"Raye, I know you're nervous about this, but you can't keep an eye on him forever. He's already slated for death with the Negaverse, and I'm certain he won't jeopardize himself here."

"Maybe, but I'll be convinced when nothing does happen." Raye replied. Amy shrugged.

"Since you seem to be so nervous about it, Raye, perhaps you'd like me to gather some clothes for him. If he's wearing traditional clothes, he won't stand out as much, our enemies won't likely find him."

"Alright." Raye instructed Amy on where to find everything, not that it wasn't needed. Gramps often asked Amy, along with Serena, if he could train them as shrine maidens, which involved wearing such clothes. Amy excused herself. Now that she was alone, Raye wondered if, maybe, she wasn't being too harsh on Jedite. As ineffective as he was as a general, he wasn't dumb: Some of his plans were quite elaborate. He knew that the three Sailor Scouts were all he had left.

But Raye knew she had to be eternally viligant. Such was the fate of a superhero. Jedite's alliance with the Scouts was solely one of convenience: Who was to say he wouldn't turn when things got rough? And if the enemy got their hands on that Imperium Silver Crystal, they would.

* * *

"Jedite." Amy was at the door. "I brought you a change of clothes."

"Thank you." His voice called back. Amy heard some shuffling, the door opened slightly, and Jedite's arm pulled the clothes in. Amy waited until the man was completely dressed, and he stepped back out.

He looked exactly as he did that time Amy first came to the temple, and he was it's caretaker.

"You look like you did that time you worked here. Will that not make Queen Beryl suspicious?" Amy voiced her worry.

"No." Jedite replied. "Queen Beryl only knew I was gathering energy by selling good-luck charms. Only Kigaan. My subordinate, knew the details, and she was destroyed. I should be fine, provided I don't start selling good-luck charms."

"Well, I doubt that will happen. Perhaps we could head back and see if there's anything else we can deduce."

"I doubt your other friend will take too kindly to that."

"Who, Raye?"

"I'm not brainless, I know what she thinks."

"You didn't think we were initially here to help you, either." Amy reminded.

"I'm not criticizing, just pointing it out." Jedite began to walk towards his room, but then, something in Amy's pocket began to beep. She pulled out a small pink pad.

"This is Amy." She spoke to the machine. Jedite looked at it quizzically.

"At the tennis court? We're on our way!" Amy quickly put it away. Before she could speak to Jedite, Raye burst out of Jedite's room.

"There's a monster at the tennis court. We need to go now!" She instructed Amy. The two sprinted off without another word. Jedite was completely alone.

He returned to his room and looked out the window. He knew the layout of this city, and, thanks to his power of teleportation, could get there faster.

But he was supposed to keep a low profile, so Queen Beryl couldn't find him. While his injuries had healed, he was hardly at full strength again.

Thanks to his clandestine work, Jedite often had to pretend to be an ordinary human, without the powers he had been gifted with. But to do it for such an extended period of time, staying at the shrine with a woman who completely despised him?

It might have been easier to die at the airport.


	6. The Future's Holding

Nephrite returned to the tennis court immediately after he noticed the energy he had been gathering from that girl suddenly dissipated.

"_How did this happen?" _Nephrite surveyed the now empty court. Neither the girl nor anyone else was around, and it hadn't been that long since the energy disappeared.

Queen Beryl was not going to be pleased, but it was important that Nephrite figure out how this happened. He saw many scorch marks and a destroyed bench to indicate a battle of some kind. There were also a few petals from a rose.

"_Tuxedo Mask." _Nephrite recalled the name that Beryl had informed him was an ally of the Sailor Scouts, an immaculately dressed man in a mask who often foiled plots with Sailor Moon.

Never had Queen Beryl mentioned he worked on his own, he always showed up whenever Sailor Moon was in danger. Of course, with Sailor Moon dead, that wouldn't be much of problem. Was he seeking revenge, perhaps?

But Tuxedo Mask's attacks had never been shown to destroy any youma. That it would happen now? Did he have some sort of other power?

Could he annihilate youma like Sailor Moon? Possibly. But then a slight breeze came around, and Nephrite saw, on the wind, some glittering pale-blue dust. Some of it stuck to his jacket. He could feel a similar presence, residual energy from his youma.

So this was what remained of his youma's body But this dust only happened when Sailor Moon attacked it with her tiara. It felt faintly like her energy.

So Sailor Moon was alive? It couldn't be? They should have been killed along with Jedite. He had to report this back to Beryl immediately.

* * *

The three Scouts came into Jedite's room. While Serena looked positively exhausted, the other two scouts did not appear to be winded. This could have been because Sailor Moon had her arms full of things.

"I fought the battle all by myself, why should I have to lug everything back?" She asked aggressively to Raye?

"Because this was your idea." Raye replied.

"There's no sense arguing now, you'll just wake your grandfather." Amy criticized. "Jedite, good, you're up. We wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" Jedite asked.

"We just came back from a battle with a youma." Raye explained. "But, like you said, we didn't actually see the guy again."

"I still managed to get his name from Molly!" Serena cheered.

"That doesn't do us much good right now." Raye returned. "Anyway, Serena said the monster came out of the girl that was playing tennis non-stop, so she thought maybe you could get some clues from some of her things."

Jedite looked at Serena quizzically.

"I wasn't sure, but you know, it pays to try."

"You defeated the youma?" Jedite asked.

"Sure did. Blasted him to moon dust!" Serena was quite cheerful.

"Well, I doubt there's much I can glean from this." Jedite pawed through the items Serena had brought. Two sweatbands, a pair of sneakers, a sun visor. Nothing seemed unusual until Jedite picked up the girl's tennis racket.

"Hmmm..." The racket itself felt odd, it had the energy signature of a youma.

"If you say it came from her body, then I think it came from this. This is Nephrite's work." Jedite explained. Nephrite's idea of using his youma was to place them in an object on his target, then let it incubate and siphon energy until the person reached their peak. Then it grew, and harvested the remaining energy.

"Is there any way we can detect it before it emerges?" Amy asked.

"For you, no. I could, but it wouldn't be easy. If you notice behavior like that girl, it's usually the best indicator. By then, though, the energy is already being harvested."

"Now you leave the next part to me!" Serena called out cheerfully. Either she didn't grasp how serious it was that Nephrite's strikes could not be prevented, or she overestimated Jedite's ability to predict them, but she did not seem fazed by this prospect.

"Now, the guy she talked to was named Maxfield Stanton. He was supposedly some rich socialite and tennis coach. That was just before she got all crazy."

"I see. Of course, Nephrite isn't exactly going to broadcast his movements." Jedite replied.

"What did you think, meatball head, we could just look him up in the phone book?" Raye criticized.

"Oh, Raye, you're so mean." Serena wept. "Then let's turn in, and face tomorrow with our heads held high." She tried to regain her enthusiasm.

"That's a good idea, we have an exam tomorrow, Serena." Amy agreed. At that relevation, Serena's good mood evaporated quickly.

"Good night, Raye." Amy and Serena excused themselves.

* * *

Raye wasn't about to turn in anytime soon. So much had happened these past few days, and she needed guidance. She needed to consult the flames. There was so much she was uncertain of, but it boiled down to one thing: Could the Scouts trust Jedite? Would he betray them? In truth, Beryl betrayed Jedite first, and Raye knew that the Scouts would never attack him. But that wasn't enough. One who betrayed could easily do it again.

She was tired, but she began the ceremony. She prayed and chanted.

"_Tell me." _She thought intensely. "_Reveal to me the truth. Is he friend or foe?" _She chanted. But the flames gave her no answer.

"_Maybe I should try tomorrow, when I'm not so beat." _She thought to herself. But she quickly denied it. She had to know the truth. Serena may have been a dimwit, and Amy, smart as she was, could be fooled by cooperation and friendliness. But Raye would be the doubter, and Raye knew it was necessary. Her duty as a Sailor Soldier was to be viligant against any danger, and just because someone wasn't making a direct assault didn't mean they weren't a foe.

She tried to consult the flames again.

* * *

Jedite didn't sleep very well during the night, mostly because he had been doing nothing but sleeping. When he awoke, it was quite early, and Raye was about ready to head off to school. She looked positively exhausted, as if she had stayed up for a good portion of the night.

He knew that Raye did not trust him, and for the most part, he could ignore that. He wasn't there for her approval. But at the same time, the number of people he could count as allies could be counted on one hand, and isolating them would not help matters.

Jedite reasoned that a show of support would help, and it would certainly stave the boredom off for a while. The old man at the temple woke up very early for chores and mornings prayers. But he knew that his granddaughter went to school, and did not interrupt her for that. Jedite had to do such things when he worked here before. He would know what he was doing.

He found the old man in the room where the fire for the fire readings was kept. Was this what Raye was doing last night? She certainly did it a lot, and, if the rumors were true, Raye could predict the future, and divine hidden secrets.

"Good morning, sir." Jedite spoke to the man very respectfully. The old man, much like Raye herself, seemed to exude a type of special power Jedite couldn't put his finger on. While Raye's would presumably have been from her identity as Sailor Mars, he couldn't figure out what was so special about this old man.

"Oh, hey there! You're the guy that came in a few nights ago with my granddaughter, right?" The man replied. Jedite wondered why the old man didn't recognize him as Jed, the old cartetaker. But then, Jedite remembered the old man's vision wasn't so great, and that he adamantly refused to wear the glasses he was prescribed.

"I am, sir. Thank you for your hospitality." Jedite bowed his head respectfully.

"It's a good thing she found `ya. I'm no doctor but you were just meat when she dragged you in. What happened to you anyway?"

"There was...an explosion, at the airport." Jedite thought of the first thing he could think of. Not that it was a lie, it just had omitted truths.

"Oh, right. Heard about that. Horrible thing. Good thing you recovered. The Seven Gods of Fortune must smile upon you."

"You might be correct." Jedite smiled. "I actually came to tell you that I've recovered."

"Good lad, good lad. Would be a crying shame to see a handsome guy like you die so young." The old man replied.

"_Handsome?" _Jedite thought. But then he remembered that Raye mentioned her grandfather was an insufferable flirt, and would flirt with anyone good-looking, male or female.

"So, where you headed off to?" The old man asked.

"Nowhere, at the moment. I'm...new to the city." Jedite tried to cover as best he could, but in truth, he had no place he could go. This wasn't like before, where he could have a staging point for his energy gathering. This was the only place that was home. For now, at least.

"Well, far be it from me to turn away an able handsome lad. You can stay a while, but I expect you to work."

"I was getting a little restless anyway. Where shall we begin?"

"Follow me!" The old man, eager for the helper, lead him outside to sweep the grounds.


	7. A Stroll in the Park

"Nephrite, is what you are telling me accurate?" Queen Beryl was quite intrigued as she sat upon her throne.

"I cannot say with certainty, Majesty. But it fits many of the signs." Nephrite commented. Even he had a hard time believing it. He had it on good authority, after all.

"You believe that Sailor Moon has survived?"

"Yes, Majesty. I believe that she interfered in this mission."

"Let's not be hasty, Nephrite." Queen Beryl returned. "Let us affirm this ourselves. Keep a closer eye on your next target, and see if it truly is her."

"Of course, Majesty." Nephrite teleported away.

"Malachite!" Queen Beryl called.

"I have heard him, Majesty." Malachite came forward and bowed.

"If Sailor Moon is alive, you failed in your mission."

"I destroyed that entire airfield. There is no way she could have survived that."

"A human can do great things, Malachite. These Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask have proven this time and time again."

"Should I intervene, then?"

"No, Malachite." Beryl replied. "Nephrite can ascertain on his own whether or not the Scouts are alive. You better hope he's mistaken, I don't broker failure. Tell me, Malachite, did you assume this explosion eliminated Jedite as well?"

"I detonated it right next to him."

"Malachite! You should know better than to use such imprecise methods!" Beryl was quick to chastise.

"It's fortunate for you we caught this problem early, Malachite. I may even give you the chance to redeem yourself. For now, we bide our time. The mission always comes first. Those Sailor Scouts were a problem for far too long, and if they survived, that meant they would just cause more. And as for Jedite, it was possible he did not survive: Nephrite never mentioned him. But if he did, that opened up a realm of possibilities. If Jedite was simply a fugitive on Earth, he would cause no problems, and Beryl could focus on her mission. But if he allied with the Sailor Scouts, it could become problematic. Anything could tip a scale, even a piece thought to be weightless.

But for now, focus on the Scouts. They were the more important problem.

* * *

Neprhrite waited in the shadows as he watched his next target: An elderly man, the caretaker of a park which was about to be bulldozed, looked distraught as the land was being razed.

"Poor Mister Baxter." Nephrite emerged from the shadows.

"Huh? Who are..." The elderly man looked at Nephrite, who reacted calmly.

"Pardon me. My name's Maxfield Stanton, and I overhead the news. It's truly unfortunate to hear what's going to happen to this lovely park."

"Oh, it truly is." The man lamented. Nephrite cared nothing for his sob story.

"If only you could do something about it." Nephrite replied.

"I've tried petitions and protests, nothing seems to work." The man lamented. Nephrite was somewhat disgusted. The man didn't even think of sabotage yet? He was truly wasting his energy.

Nephrite extended his hand, and implanted his youma in the man's hat. Considering it was part of his uniform, he would never have taken it off. Perfect.

"You know, there is an idea I was having..." The man turned away, and Nephrite started to laugh. He could leave the man be for now, but once his energy reached it's peak, Nephrite would have to keep a close eye on him. He needed to determine whether or not the Sailor Scouts were alive or not. If they were, they would not interfere again.

Thinking of how the Sailor Scouts might have survived drew Nephrite's mind back to Jedite for a moment. After all, if the Scouts lived, why couldn't he?

Jedite was a fool, and Nephrite was certain that, much like Zoicite, Jedite obtained his position through toadying to Beryl, rather than having strength like himself or Malachite. Personality-wise, Jedite was far more tolerable than the other two, but it wasn't saying much.

But the stars had a way of looking out for fools. Perhaps he'd keep a closer eye before the youma emerged. If Jedite were in the area and still alive, he'd be able to detect something was amiss.

* * *

Jedite remembered the chores he had to do when he posed as caretaker, and he knew how to sweep, keep everything tidy, and greet the guests. The temple was not selling good luck charms at the moment, but there were many guests coming to the shrine.

Raye's grandfather was remarkably spry for his old age, and he could handle himself very ably. Jedite stuck to sweeping the ground free of dust and leaves, and greeting the guests.

"Good day. Welcome to the Hikawa Shrine." Jedite greeted a couple. "What brings you here this day?"

"Newlyweds. Praying for an early birth." The man smiled.

"Oh, you." The woman chuckled, and theey made their way to the shrine. And there were many guests like the couple, and Jedite greeted them all. The work was not challenging, but it was staving off Jedite's incredible boredom.

Raye came back to the shrine without the other two girls.

"Jedite!" She called over, surprised to see him up. "What are you doing out of bed."

"Your grandfather insisted I earn my keep, so I've been handling a few chores."

"Oh." She seemed surprised at his sudden helpfulness. Not that he blamed her, this was weird to Jedite himself.

"Although, there are a few guests around." Jedite cautioned. "It might be more prudent to refer to me as Jed."

"Oh, right." Raye acknowledged.

"Many of the chores are finished. It's about time to brew tea, anyway."

"I'll...I'll handle that myself, I prefer to do it. Grandpa, there you are!" Raye called to her grandfather.

"So there's my granddaughter. Looks like your house guest is up and about, isn't he."

"So everything was all right, Grandpa? Jed just helped you with the chores?"

"Oh yeah, we got all of it done in record time. Maybe I should train him to be the new priest. He's strong, and pleasant, and looks good in hakama. Not as good as me, but you can't blame him for that." The old man was silly, and Jedite had to restrain himself from laughing. It truly was amazing how people lived sometimes. This could be bearable, for a time.

Raye, though, didn't seem convinced. Jedite wasn't sure if she would ever be convinced. And he found it odd he cared that much in the first place.

* * *

Serena had wanted to take a quick shopping trip, but Amy was actually concerned for a friend of hers, a park ranger. Apparently, he was about to lose his job, which had to be horribly depressing.

"Mr. Baxter?" Amy was looking around. She had wanted to visit him earlier, but with Jedite at the temple, the Scouts usually gravitated towards there. Serena wanted to make sure he was adjusting all right, and Amy, along with Luna, thought of some useful questions that Jedite could help with.

"Maybe he called it an early night?" Serena offered.

"No, he'd never do that. He always loves the park at night, and it isn't even sunset yet."

"Maybe he's meeting with a politician or something." Serena offered, but she quckly became interrupted by the sound of a man's scream.

"What was that?" Amy heard the noise too. The two girls quickly ran towards the source of the noise to see a man in a hard hat on the ground, kicking and shaking his legs.

"Get it off, get it off!" He screamed. The girls quickly made their way over to the man, where they saw a small raccoon biting the man's leg.

"Amy!" Serena called. At the approach of the girls, the beast scurried away and ran into the trees.

"Are you all right?" Serena asked, helping the injured man to his feet.

"You should see a doctor right away." Amy agreed. "Do you need assistance to your car."

"Friggin' beast!" The man shouted. "S-sorry girls. The critters have been going positively crazy recently. A bunch of butterflies broke the lamps not even an hour ago."

Serena knew Amy wanted to say something about how they were bulldozing their home, but she didn't speak up. Perhaps she was more concerned for the man. Raccoons, particularly those that just bit humans, might have had rabies.

"Sir, pardon me for asking. But have you seen the park manager anywhere?" Amy asked.

"That guy! He's gotta be part of it. He started talkin' about stopping our work."

"Oh, come on, he can't control animals." Serena protested. "You're just being silly."

"Silly or not, those beasts need to be put down." The man limped off towards the parking lot. Serena and Amy looked to each other. They needed to take a look at this equipment that the butterflies supposedly destroyed. If something like that happened, then maybe Nephrite found his new victim.


	8. Attractions

Jedite, Raye, and her grandfather were having a quiet cup of tea as the sun went down.

"Isn't it great to get everything done!" The old man drank the bitter tea like a man half his age.

"Yeah, it is." Raye admitted, as her grandfather walked out of the room.

"I can even go on my date with Darien tomorrow and not have to stay up late finishing them."

"Dating?" Jedite asked curiously.

"Yeah, I just met him, we're going on a boat ride in the park, before the park closes, at least."

"I see. Well, enjoy yourself."

"So, Jedite, do you think Nephrite knows the Sailor Scouts survived?"

"I think that he is suspicious. A youma can't be destroyed by just anything. Be vigilant, make sure the coast is clear before you transform."

"Yeah. So, what is all the energy gathering for, anyway."

"To awaken Queen Metallia. Suffice it to say, if she's revived, this world is doomed." Jedite remarked. "Well, I'm going to the bath." And Jedite excused himself, leaving Raye all alone. He was being so helpful around the temple, and Grandpa seemed to like him. Then again, Grandpa liked anyone who was remotely beautiful. Raye wondered if it was a good idea to warn Jedite about how Gramps would be hitting on him all the time, but doubted it would be useful. The two worked together today, after all. He probably already knew.

"_Did I just think Jedite was handsome?" _Raye thought. It was innocent enough. He may not have been human, but he looked it. But she couldn't afford to think in such a way. Not only was she dating Darien, but she still had no idea if Jedite could truly be trusted, or if he served only himself, and allied with the Scouts to save his own hide.

She would need to consult the flames again tonight.

* * *

There was a lot of shattered glass on the ground as Amy examined the machinery. Thanks to her microcomputer, she was able to determine that there was a high quantity of butterfly scales in the area as well.

While she couldn't say the construction worker was accurate, it definitely seemed likely. And what reason would that man have to lie anyway?

"But even if that guy was telling the truth, how could butterflies be controlled to do such a thing. I wonder if Mr. Baxter is okay."

"There's not a whole lot we can do here. Hey, look, there's a light on that trailer over there." Serena pointed out.

"And the window's open too! Let's spy." Serena, without waiting for approval, dashed over to the window. Amy sighed before heading over there.

"Yes, Councilman." The man inside appeared to be speaking on a telephone.

"Of course, Councilman. We'll suspend our operation until you can look around. It's got to be that Baxter guy, he's the only one who protested it. No, I don't know how he did it. I don't know, do butterflies have like, hormones or something. What are pheromones? Well, just take a look. Alright, goodbye." The man hung the phone up. Serena and Amy stayed out of sight as the light in the trailor shut off, and the man exited and made his way to his car.

"Did you hear that? They're stopping!" Serena cheered.

"Because of the attacks." Amy replied. "Tomorrow, we have to come back here. I need to speak to Mr. Baxter."

"I'm sure he'll be happy too, to hear that." Serena noted.

"Yeah. Maybe it's all some misunderstanding. Maybe it's nothing." Amy tried to cheer herself up. For about five minutes, it did. Her heart faltered with every step, and by the time she got home, she was almost certain there was a nefarious purpose behind her good friend.

* * *

Raye headed out for her date early in the afternoon, while Jedite was still doing chores for the temple. It certainly kept boredom at bay, but while Jedite was sweeping, he kept asking himself the question of "what should he do now?" He never realized how easy it was under Queen Beryl to follow orders and save his thinking for things like roadblocks. Roadblocks like the Sailor Scouts. Now that he had his entire life in front of him, he had no idea what to do next.

Jedite knew the human world. Humans had jobs which earned money, which was spent on the consumables needed to survive. What could Jedite do? Further, what could he do that wouldn't expose him as something not quite human?

His thoughts were interrupted shortly by Amy.

"Good afternoon." Jedite replied.

"Jedite, I'm glad you're here. There's been a strange incident in the park, and I can't help but wonder if Nephrite is behind it."

"Unfortunately, Amy, I cannot sense a disturbance that far away. What has happened?" Amy relayed an odd story, about a construction site and workers being attacked by the animals of the park.

"Just animals doesn't mean a whole lot, Amy. That wouldn't be Nephrite's target. Has a person, or people been acting differently? Those are the targets for energy."

"Hmmm...Aside from the animals, I don't know. I was going to see my friend Mr. Baxter."

"That's something to ascertain first thing. A bunch of animals could mean something, but a person acting in direct conflict with their normal self to devote to their hobby is the most prime indicator. I'd get the Scouts and check out everyone who belongs in that park, your Mr. Baxter included."

"I see. Well, Raye's off on her date with Darien, and Serena...well...I think she's stalking them. Or trying to make them jealous. Something like that."

"Well, Raye's date is at that park. If you see it's a problem, you'll have to break it up. Luckily, it seems like they're all in the same place, that happens to be the right one. Head back to that park, Amy."

"Got it." Amy smiled, and left immediately. Jedite wondered whether this was his job now, serving as consultant to these girls. Seeing them made Jedite wonder how on Earth those girls managed to thwart their plans. They lived the lives of normal girls, spent very little time on strategical concerns, and their current consultant: Serena's talking cat, seemed almost stressed out by it.

But such a job did not pay. The girls complained about their finances, among other things. Jedite sighed as he continued to sweep. Who would have though freedom would be so challenging.

* * *

Amy made her way to the park fairly quickly. Yesterday, she wondered if that Councilman the man was talking to on the phone yesterday had shown up yet.

But first things first, she needed to find Mr. Baxter. She hoped that he wasn't hurt by any of these animals.

The construction equipment was gone, and all seemed normal with the park. After about ten minutes of exploring, she found Mr. Baxter looking at an extremely tastefully arranged bed of flowers.

"Good morning, Mister Baxter!" She called over to her friend. He turned around, and Amy was taken aback. He normally looked like a warm and inviting man, but now his glared at Amy as if she was a poacher, or had tred on the flowers.

"I saw all the..." Amy started, but then Mr. Baxter interrupted her. .

"This park is not for you neophytes! Get out!" Mr. Baxter pointed his finger towards her, and Amy could hear rustling in the trees.

Was that the animals? Were they obeying his command. It couldn't be, animals didn't follow such signals.

Amy decided the best course of action was to leave, before things got ugly. She strode out of the park and looked at the lake.

It had to be Nephrite. Mr. Baxter, even upset as he was about the construction, would have always encouraged people to be in the park. She reached in her purse for her communicator. Raye was not answering, probably because she was out with Darien, but Serena did manage to answer, and said she'd be over shortly.

And then, Amy was distracted by a cry of pain, and saw a man running out from the park, several squirrels attached to his body. A,my ran over to assist, but the man kept moving, and Amy couldn't get to him.

Was that another guest, or that city Councilman? It didn't matter. Amy needed to find a quiet place so she could transform.


	9. The Way of Friendships

"Serena, there you are!" Amy called over to her friend, to meet her at the construction site they had investigated yesterday. Most of the machinery was gone, but the trailer and some equipment still remained.

"Yeah, I'm here." Serena was out of breath as she ran over to her friend. Amy sounded so urgent on the communicator, something had to be big. But she was still not in her transformed state.

"It's Mr. Baxter. I think he is Nephrite's next target!" Amy delivered.

"You sure?"

"Most assuredly." Amy returned. "It's far too off for him to be normal. We should deal with this immediately."

"Okay. If you're sure, Amy. Have you tried Raye? I saw her with Darien over..."

"I thought you didn't like Darien." Amy pointed out.

"I don't." Serena was quick to say.

"So why are you watching their date?"

"I'm...just looking out for Raye. She can get so crazy about boys."

"_The blind leading the blind." _Amy thought.

"We'd better go as the Scouts." Amy delivered. Serena nodded. They ducked into the trailer, made sure the coast was clear, and transformed into Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury.

"Alright, Mercury, you ready to do this!" Sailor Moon always sounded a bit more authoritative when she was ready for battle. Not that it was saying much, Serena could barely command Melvin, the school's resident geek, to stay away from her.

"Yes." Mercury made her visor appear across her forehead as the two stepped out of the trailer. However, before she could do anything, Mr. Baxter was standing outside.

* * *

"Park's closed, little girls." This man wore the guise, but in no way was he Amy's dear friend.

"Mr. Baxter, it's the middle of the afternoon. What has gotten into you?" Sailor Mercury pleaded.

"You're going to disrespect the park ranger. I think the denizens of the park don't take kindly to that. Not flora or fauna." And with that, Mr. Baxter rose his hand towards the girls, and a loud din of squawking and honking came from nearby.

"Be ready." Mercury drew herself into a combat stance. From near the trees emerged a flying squad of birds, aimed in on the two superheroes like missiles.

Serena ducked at the last moment, and the birds flew overhead out over the lake, straight towards a boat out on the lake, which capsized and turned over.

"Mister Baxter! Stop this immediately!" Sailor Mercury called out. The man gave no verbal response, just leveled his hand towards them. More rustling came from the woods, and Amy could hear the sound of many insects coming.

"Look out, Sailor Moon! Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Amy lay down some cover. She knew that insects despised, or even were killed, when the temperatures cooled, and the chilly air from her bubbles might dissuade them.

Fortunately, the insects never came near her. But she'd have to do something about Mister Baxter. And do it quickly.

* * *

"Energy level has reached it's peak!" Nephrite was exultant in his cathedral as he felt Mister Baxter's limit finally reach.

"Now harvest, Petasos!" He directed his youma, which would emerge shortly from Mr. Baxter's hat and collected the foolish man's energy. Now, though, was the time he needed to be vigilant. And find out whether or not it was the Sailor Scouts interfering or not.

Nephrite could sense exactly where his youma was. He'd know where to go. And he'd know for himself.

* * *

Raye wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting on her date with Darien. She knew how dates were supposed to go: He would row the canoe, and talk. Raye was even planning to ask to try and row it, then fail on purpose just so he could gently take her arms and show her.

This wasn't it. Darien was polite, and asked her questions, but, Raye was expecting something more romantic. Boys who were interested in her were more upfront about it, even somewhat goofy. Darien seemed aloof, asking questions merely because it was the polite thing to do more so than actual interest.

"So, Darien, what are you studying at K.O. University?" Raye asked.

"Andrew, the guy who runs the arcade, and I both study medicine. You've met him, I think. His sister goes to your school." Darien answered. His answering of questions was very mechanical, there was no flirting at all. A guy would be spoken to in the exact same way.

"Do you have family? What do your parents do?" Raye asked. Darien seemed to clam up a bit, and didn't answer. Raye realized she shouldn't have asked that.

"Sorry, forget I asked."

"No, no harm done." Darien reassured, but did not answer the question. Raye knew better than to press the subject. Her mother had passed long ago, and her father, a politician, was far too busy to spent time with his only daughter, except for that dinner on her birthday.

"How is living at a temple?" Darien asked.

"Well...I really...I'm not sure how to answer that, I've only lived there for as long as I can remember. But...well...it's very calm, and quiet. There's not a lot of noise from the city so it's a great place for quiet contemplation. There's just the two of us, well, three now."

"Three?"

"Well, there's me, my grandfather, and Jed...Jed. He works as the caretaker." Raye quickly stopped herself from blabbing Jedite's real name. She'd have to work on that.

"That does sound nice."

"You can stop by anytime. You're a pious man?" Raye asked.

"That's a long story." Darien replied. The loud sound of birds interrupted the bonding moment later, and both Raye and Darien turned to see a swarm of birds flying directly at the boat.

"What the!" Darien cried out before grabbing Raye's head and ducking down, keeping them both out of range of the birds. While the birds didn't contact Darien or Raye, the boat was unable to withstand the wind the fast swarm of birds created, and flipped over, plunging both of them into the lake.

Raye quickly fought her way to the surface. What was that? Did a squad a birds just attack her?

"Darien!" She looked around, and saw Darien's head above the water, but then watched him cry out in pain and his head slipped under.

"Darien!" She screamed again as she dove under. Making it to Darien's body was easy, but he was a lot heavier than she was, and was having a difficult time trying to pull him to the surface. She kicked as ferociously as she could, but her arms were getting tired, and the surface seemed to always be just out of reach. Her vision was starting to fade, but she couldn't let go of Darien. She'd never forgive herself if he drowned right in front of her. Boyfriend or not, someone wasn't about to die.

The next thing Raye could remember, she was coughing on the dock next to the lake. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, but she could breathe.

"What happened? Darien?" She looked to her left, and saw a face. She thought it was Darien's face, but she was having a hard time focusing. When she rubbed her eyes, though, no one was next to her.

"What happened?" Uneasily, Raye got to her feet. She looked around for any sign of Darien. She didn't see anyone, but she saw wet footprints moving up towards the road, footprints belonging to a man's shoe. There was no one else out on the lake: Darien must have gone to call an ambulance. Raye supposed she wasn't surprised Darien was so on top of things, if he wanted to be a doctor.

"I think I..." Raye braced herself for a moment, and then felt her communicator ringing.

"_Am I glad I didn't lose this in the lake." _She thought as she fished it out.

"What's up?" She spoke into it.

"Raye, it's Amy, there's an enemy here. We need your help now!" Amy shouted frantically. Raye nodded. There was no time to wait for Darien now. She had work to do.

* * *

Mister Baxter had collapsed, and a dark shadow arose from his body. Soon, it took form, and was shaped into a purple-skinned demon with green hair. It regarded the two Sailor Scouts.

"So...it looks like I've got two do-gooders around."

"That's right!" Sailor Moon stated.

"How dare you think you can harm the caretaker or his lovely park." Sailor Mercury added.

"Your brand of evil is going nowhere but moon dust. I am Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon, I shall punish you!"

"Heh." The monster was unconvinced, and attacked the two girls with vines growing out of it's body.

"Mercury Bubbles..." Mercury attempted to attack and disorient the monster, but before she could finish, the vines whipped around her, pinning her.

"Mercury!" Sailor Moon called out, before the vines whipped into her, knocking her to the ground.

"Time to finish this!" The monster prepared to attack with a very sharp, pointed vine.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" A familiar voice came from the side, and a sharp blast of fire burned the fines off of Mercury, and stopped the monster from attacking.

"Sailor Mars!" Sailor Mercury cried with relief.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" She quickly moved to blanket the field, and allow Sailor Moon to get out of the prone position. Meanwhile, Mercury heard Sailor Mars running towards the monster.

"Time to show you what happens when you mess up my date!" Mars charged, ofuda in hand.

"Evil spirit, begone!" She shouted, throwing the ofuda at the beast.

"Agh!" It cried out.

"There's your target, Sailor Moon!" Mercury shouted.

"Right. Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon delivered the finishing strike, and the mist from the bubbles faded as the glowing disk struck, and the monster disintegrated.

"Did it!" Sailor Moon cheered.

"So, the rumors were true." A dark voice sounded behind the girls. They turned around to discover someone they hadn't seen before, floating a few feet off the ground. He had long brown hair, and he wore the same dark uniform that Jedite wore when he was their enemy.

This had to be Nephrite. All three Scouts drew into battle stances.

"You were supposed to be dead." Nephrite commented stoically. Let's remedy that." Nephrite attacked, throwing several balls of energy at the girls. Mercury tried to dodge them, but from out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sailor Mars take a hit, knocking her down.

"Hmph." Nephrite levelled his hand towards her, attempting to attack while she was down. But the attack never came, and Mercury saw, at the ground, a red rose.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon cheered with joy.

"To manipulate a passionate man's love for nature, how low can you get?" Tuxedo Mask, on top of a street lamp, declared passionately. He then leapt from the street lamp, and extended his cane towards Nephrite, who dodged the attack. Rather than stick around, Nephrite teleported away.

"Where'd he go?" Sailor Moon wondered.

"I think he saw the battle wasn't going his way." Sailor Mercury added. "Mister Baxter!" She ran over towards her friend, who was unconscious, but did not seem injured.

"I leave this to you, Sailor Moon." Tuxedo Mask stated, and then he turned to leave. Mercury knew she could handle the rest of this. First, though, she needed to find a safe place to transform back into Amy.

* * *

It was getting close to sunset when Raye came back to the Hikawa Shrine. She was walking with a tall, dark-haired man Jedite had never met before.

"Good evening, Raye." Jedite greeted.

"Oh, good evening, Jed." Raye returned.

"And hello to you, sir. Welcome to the Hikawa Shrine." Jedite greeted the man Raye was with as he would any other guest.

"Oh, sorry. Where are my manners. Darien, this is Jed, the caretaker I told you about. Jed, this is Darien Shields, the man I went on a date with today." Raye introduced.

"A pleasure." Darien extended his hand for a handshake. Jedite was certainly glad he knew how to blend in with humans. Not a single person who didn't know who he really was thought he was anything but human. He returned it.

"I need to go check on Grandpa. Please, excuse me. Thank you for the wonderful date, Darien." Raye was warm as she darted off.

"So, Jed, you work here at the shrine?"

"I'm new in town." Jed replied. "I work and live here for the time being. At least until I figure out what to do."

"Oh?"

"I'm...I'm certain you know about the explosion at the airport?"

"Oh wow, you were in that?" Darien's eyes widened in shock.

"Everything I was was in that explosion. Raye brought me back here to recover. I'm just helping out with the upkeep best I can."

"I know what that's like. I was in a car accident when I was really young. Both my parents died, and I was in the hospital for a long time. Then I went to an orphanage until I could find a job." Darien explained.

"How'd you deal with that?" Jedite asked.

"I was a very moody teenager." Darien admitted. "But there's little that can be done by cursing what happens. I just move forward. Apply myself in school, make friends. Even meet new people, like Raye."

"Just a meeting? She claimed it was a date."

"Well, it was. But it's more a schoolgirl crush. Raye's just a nice friendly girl, and I'll go out with her because she likes it, but it's not serious. But hey, Jed, if you ever want to hang out, give me a call. Sounds to me like you've lost a lot, and are lost in a lot of ways. I find it helps to hang out and make new friends in times like that."

"Hmmm...you might be right. Thanks for stopping by, Darien." Jedite shook the man's hand again, and he walked down the steps as the sun began to set.


	10. Desperation

"Alright, class." Ms. Haruna lectured from the head of the class. "Home economics is over, and now it's time for real economics."

"Ugh." Serena groaned as she sat at her desk. It was always very pleasant to have Ms. Lambert teach home economics. Aside from the fact that it was much easier than anything Ms. Haruna taught, Ms. Lambert was pleasant, and cheerful.

And who could concentrate on class when the latest and greatest gossip had just been released: Ms. Lambert was actually going to get married shortly.

"And so, class, who here can tell me the central point of supply-side economics?" Haruna asked her students. While Amy, and Melvin, along with a few of the other nerds in the class, Haruna scanned those who did not volunteer.

"Okay, Serena." Haruna delivered.

"Umm...supply-side economics. The central point...is...being on the side of supply?" She guessed. From the look of her teacher, the answer was wrong.

"No, Serena. Did you even read the assignment? Or do your economics homework?'

"Ummm...no." Serena admitted.

"Serena, oftentimes I wonder why on Earth I think I can teach you. Class, expect an exam tomorrow on supply-side economics, and I hope the rest of you have studied." Groans erupted from the class as Haruna gave the news. Some glared at Serena. Serena just sank into her desk.

* * *

"Wow, Jed, this place sure looks great!" The old priest remarked kindly to Jedite as he continued to sweep leaves.

"Thank you, sir." Jedite remarked respectfully. This was hardly a surprise, considering how he really had little else to do, so he spent a lot of time on the chores at the temple.

"You're a miracle worker, where you been all my life?" The old man half-flirted, half-praised, and Jedite knew to just accept it and hide his nervousness at being hit on by a man three times his age. It never stopped being awkward.

"Take the afternoon off." The man instructed. "You've earned it."

"Well, thanks, sir, but that's really not necessary."

"I insist. We all deserve rest from time to time. Take a jog, do a little window shopping. Not much left to do around here, and most of that is mine." The old man walked back into the temple.

Jedite was hoping the old man didn't say anything like that. Chores were the one thing keeping him sane, keeping him together aside from the "interrogations" of the Sailor Scouts. The word wasn't accurate considering Serena's friendliness, but he was still an exile from the Negaverse being drilled on such matters by its enemies. Such things were interrogations.

Jedite returned back into his room. One of his many powers was the ability of disguise, and many a time had he used it's powers to fool others into believing he was a normal person.. He concentrated a bit and his uwagi changed into a Western t-shirt, his hakama became a pair of sweatpants, and his geta became sneakers. A sweatband appeared on his head, and two more on his wrists.

Jedite knew what exercise was, he had exploited it once as a source of energy. He himself used it, for both physical strength as well as mental strength. Jedite may have been gifted with telekinesis since birth, but he was not able to move jumbo jets since that long. It took many years of concentration, honing, and focus.

Physical strength was less important, but it still had it's benefits. Telekinesis wasn't very useful in close combat, and to leave a weakness like that was foolish. Jedite tied his shoes tightly, and followed the man's orders to go for a jog.

* * *

"Aw, Serena, you couldn't have picked a worse day to blow it." Molly complained as she, Serena, and Amy all began their walk home after school ended.

"Come on, Molly, don't blame me. Ms. Haruna's in one of her moods, and we all know the reason why." Serena pointed out. Molly didn't want to admit it aloud, but Serena had a point. There were many teachers around the school, and whenever wind came of one of the female teachers was getting married or had a boyfriend, Ms. Haruna always seemed to go on the warpath. In contrast, the homework load always seemed lighter when Ms. Haruna had a boyfriend.

"Even so, Serena, you really need to hit the books harder." Amy remarked.

"Even I knew the answer to that one." Molly teased.

"Thanks a lot." Serena remarked glumly.

"Alright, goodbye." Amy smiled at the two girls. "I need to go and drop by the hospital to see my mother." Amy smiled, and made her way into the hospital parking lot.

"It's so sweet how Amy checks on her mother a lot. I mean with me it's easy since she's in the store right downstairs." Molly remarked cheerfully.

"Yeah, but now I've got all this homework and no one to help me out with it." Serena moped.

"You could always ask Melvin." Molly teased.

"Molly, your sense of humor can be downright vicious." Serena remarked.

"Sorry, it was too easy." The two of them reached the park.

"Alright, I've actually got to get some grocery shopping done for my mom, so I'll see you tomorrow." Molly smiled as bid farewell to Serena, who had to cut across the park. Perhaps Ms. Haruna did need a boyfriend, but where would Molly find a man like that?

* * *

Patricia Haruna was truly grateful for school to be over. She had known about her dear friend, Helen Lambert's, marriage since this morning, before the gossip mill spread amongst the students.

Helen deserved it, Patricia would never feel any other way. She was a sweet, kind woman who smile and disposition won over many a student. Patricia knew her friend's fiancé, and, while he was no looker, he was a sweet, lovable dope of a man who had a wonderful career. He'd be a good husband.

And while Patricia had no malice in her heart for her friend, there was plenty of jealousy. Patricia had been single for a long time. She had plenty of dates, but most never mustered out. The men never called back, or broke up with her.

Patricia looked at her face in her compact. She was pretty, she engaged in conversation. Why couldn't she find a man to marry like Helen did?

The park always seemed to cheer her up, so she took a stroll in the park, eventually sitting on a bench and people watching for a moment. Some children played, couples walked arm-in-arm. Everything reminded her of how unattached she was. She was getting on in years, she knew. Would any man ever want to marry her?

She immediately became distracted by a young man jogging past her.

"_Wow, he's pretty handsome." _Patricia thought. Most handsome or not was debatable considering how many men Patricia knew, but he was definitely one sharp looking man. His hair was short and blonde, he looked to be in good shape. He looked a bit younger than she was used to, but Patricia was not picky.

"Jed?" A voice Patricia knew, one that haunted her nightmares, called out to the jogging man. He stopped jogging for a moment, Serena Tsukino, the girl who never seemed to apply herself at anything that wasn't eating, called over to the handsome man.

"Oh! Good afternoon." The man, Jed, greeted her.

"I didn't expect to see you out. Gramps give you the day off?"

"He did, actually. Have you finished school?"

"Sure did, on my way home." Serena laughed a bit. "Well, enjoy your run, I get enough of that trying to make it to school every morning." She laughed a bit more. Serena walked off, while Jed stretched his legs for a moment, probably so he didn't pull anything before resuming his jog.

So that Jed was acquainted with Serena? There was never accounting for taste, it seemed. But Patricia knew Jed was handsome, and, considering how pleasantly he interacted with Serena, he was a very patient man. Or had a high threshold for pain, but what was the difference?

And then, Jed resumed his jog, moving away from Haruna, giving her a full glimpse of his back. And backside.

"_Definitely in shape." _She smiled. Definitely in shape.

* * *

Serena definitely perked up a bit when she ran into Jedite at the park. It was her decision to save his life, and she felt responsible for his...adjustment, to the work of everyday people. It couldn't be easy. Serena knew Jedite had considerable powers that set him apart from humanity, and a great deal of pride, a pride that was battered from constant failures and the eventual betrayal. He was doing things now, going out in public. That would help.

Serena began her stroll back home, but her schoolbag slipped out of her hand. As she picked it up, she noticed that Ms. Haruna, her teacher, was sitting nearby on a park bench. She seemed preoccupied, looking at something in the opposite direction. She followed her teacher's gaze to see that Ms. Haruna had her eyes locked firmly on Jedite, in a location not appropriate to let linger.

"_Ms. Haruna!" _Serena chastised. Only in her mind could she get away with such words. Serena knew, of course, the man-crazy antics of her teacher. Half of school gossip was about her legendary failures on the dating circuit. Of course, if she was like she was on dates as she was as a teacher, no wonder she was single. Boyfriends wouldn't appreciate being given a 30 on a test.

Sometimes Serena wondered whether or not there was a man on Earth who would want to date Ms. Haruna. She wished it wasn't the case, however, the homework load was always lighter when Ms. Haruna had a man in her life.

And then she saw how she looked at Jedite. Smitten, she certainly was. And Serena was of the opinion that Jedite needed to adjust to the human world by forming relationships with other people, making a life for himself. Life involved dating, or so Serena, and Ms. Haruna, it seemed, wanted.

And then the crafty plot began cooking in her head.


	11. Baiting the Trap

It was during lunch period when Serena decided to hatch her plan. The students ate at their desks, and Ms. Haruna would sit and monitor. Like any good plan, Luna may have said that Serena was not a good planner, but Serena knew how to handle matters of love.

"So, Molly, did I ever introduce you to Jed yet?" Serena asked. Molly thought for a minute.

"No." She answered. "I've never met any Jed." Out of the corner of her eye, Serena noticed Ms. H had her interest peaked.

"He's new in town. I saw him in the park the other day when he was jogging, and I realized I never introduced you. Silly me."

"So, new in town. Is he a foreigner?"

"Yep." Serena remarked. "You'd like him. He's cute, and single." She teased. While she spoke to Molly, Serena knew her words were for Ms. H to overhear. And overhear she did, Serena noticed Ms. H look at her more intently as soon as she said the word single. The bait was set.

"Sorry, Serena, I gotta help my mom do inventory today. You know that." Molly replied. Serena did knew this was true: Molly had to help her mother with store inventory the same time every month. But then again, it wasn't Molly who needed the details.

"Too bad. He lives and works at the Hikawa Shrine. You know, up on Cherry Hill. Gotta move fast, he's a real cute one."

"Why haven't you scooped him up?" Molly asked.

"It's time for class to resume." Ms. Haruna silenced all the chatter. But Serena knew that she had said all she needed to say.

* * *

While Molly had to head home quickly, Serena and Amy were going to meet Raye to do a little clothes shopping.

"Man, Jedite must have it easy, being able to disguise himself with any clothes he wants." Serena noted. "We have to buy things."

"Yes, meatball head, I'm sure the Negaverse is all some elaborate plot to become the world's best fashion designers." Raye criticized.

"You're so mean." Serena moped.

"That's enough, you two. Let's just get what we needed and go without a major blow-up." Amy shushed the both of them. As the trio walked towards their favorite boutiques, they passed by a stately church, with a large billboard.

"Homemade wedding dress contest." Amy read it nonchalantly. She chuckled a little. As much as Amy distanced herself from romance, not having the time for it, she couldn't help but find the idea of a woman making her own wedding dress romantic.

"Grand prize is a free wedding reception!" Serena always seemed taken by billboards, and was a ridiculous romantic. That billboard would have her attention.

"Wow, that is pretty interesting. One free wedding reception, redeemable when the lucky lady gets married. That's pretty cool. So you don't have to have a steady boyfriend to enter. Free admission too, any single woman welcome." Raye returned.

"Oh, don't tell me you two are seriously thinking..." Amy continued to walk and talk, but stopped when she realized both Raye and Serena had stopped to read the billboard again.

"Wouldn't that be wonderful. Making the dress by hand, winning a reception. Oh, but Tuxedo Mask or Andrew. Which boy do I pick?" Serena was enchanted.

"You two can't possibly be thinking of entering. Serena, exams are coming up, and besides, you're not very good at sewing." Amy remarked.

"Yeah, meatball head. You should save yourself the embarrassment." Raye added.

"Raye, do you know how to sew?" Amy reversed. Raye clammed up.

"I thought so. Don't be so foolish. Don't waste time and money on something you know won't pay off. There's bound to be hundreds of women who enter, many of whom might actually design their own clothes who see this as a way to launch her career." Amy did not take an accusatory tone, but she was stern.

"I wonder if Ms. Lambert will enter." Serena mused aloud. She and Raye discussed the contest for a moment, and Amy knew that they still were planning on entering. And she sighed, for she knew all the practicality in the world couldn't dissuade those two. This shopping trip was going to be a short one.

* * *

Patricia had some errands to run after school had ended, so she wasn't able to get the time to visit the Hikawa Shrine until late in the afternoon. She had never been to this place: Haruna was not exactly a devout woman. But the man was single, and new in town. There was no harm in testing the waters and seeing how things went.

She ascended the stairs to see a single person standing outside. To Haruna's dismay, it was a girl, the age of her students, with long dark hair, dressed as a shrine maiden, sweeping leaves.

"Good day." The girl stopped her sweeping to greet the guest. "Welcome to the Hikawa Shrine."

"Hello." This girl may not have been the handsome foreigner, but she might have known him. Was she his sister? They didn't look alike.

"What a fine afternoon, is it not?" Haruna engaged in a bit of friendly chatter. The girl might not respond well to where this Jed was.

"Oh, indeed, a wonderful, beautiful day. Have you come to pray?"

"Yes. This is a large temple. Do you live here alone?"

"Oh no. My grandfather is the head priest here." The girl explained. "And then there's our caretaker of the grounds, Jed." The girl answered. So Serena was telling the truth about this Jed. Now, was he here? How did Haruna find out without being obvious.

"Let me take you to the shrine." Raye escorted Patricia to a small shrine, but before she reached it, Haruna heard footsteps coming from up the steps. She then saw the jogger's blonde hair, and impressive face, as he walked up the steps to the temple. He seemed even more handsome in traditional clothes.

"Oh, Jed. There you are." The shrine girl called over.

"Hello, Raye. Did your shopping trip not go so well?" He asked.

"I'd rather not discuss it. I need to go feed the birds." The girl, Raye, bowed, and then departed inside the temple.

"_Alright, Patricia. Don't blow it." _She thought.

"Welcome to the Hikawa Shrine." Jed greeted her kindly.

"Hello there. Are you new in town?"

"I am." Jed bowed his head a little. "Have you come to pray?"

"Yes, but first let me say welcome. I hope you enjoy our fair city."

"Why thank you." The man knew how to speak, that was for sure. Patricia couldn't help but wonder if she had heard this man's voice before. He sounded so much like that radio DJ who read her love letter on the air, that wonderful J-Dite. But such a man would not work at a temple like this, she thought. Perhaps the radio simply distorted his voice.

"You're new to town, you said. Have you seen all the great hotspots, the great restaurants?" Haruna flirted. Here was her invitation.

"No, I can't say I have. I don't really know much about it."

"Well, say no more. As your official welcome woman, I should show you a wonderful restaurant and some places to really enjoy yourself. Let's pick a night, and have a good time."

Jed looked at her very strangely. Perhaps, Haruna thought, she went into things too thick. But it wasn't like she was asking for a date. She was going to show around the new guy. And if, between dinner and dancing, he found himself more interested in her, she'd be open to that.

"Well, my...I was told it would be a good idea to get out and around. Why don't you come back in two days, and we can work out a better time."

"Sounds good! My name's Patricia Haruna. I'll be back soon!" And with a spring in her step, she eagerly went down the stairs, feeling as though she could fly.

* * *

Raye watched from the window how that woman was talking with Jed. She was flirting: Raye wasn't close enough to hear what was said, but she was flirting. And judging from her reaction, Jedite probably didn't say the right thing. Once she had left, Raye wondered whether or not she should speak to him about it.

Eventually, though, Raye decided against it. Jedite knew how to handle himself around crowds of people. He had never given away the fact that he was not human. He did not fly in public, teleport, use his disguising powers where people could see him. He only practiced his telekinesis when no one was looking. He called it exercise, so that he coudld strengthen his ability: To be able to lift heavier things, hold things for longer periods of time, perform multiple tasks simultaneously, and make his movements more precise.

Raye could understand. It was like art or calligraphy, and practice made perfect. She had seen Jedite's practice a few times: Carefully folding clothes, cleaning the table, making the bed. Jedite had only ever used it in battle before, so it was weird seeing that it had more mundane uses, but there was a lot that could be done with it.

Including making a wedding dress.


	12. Something Like Love

After school the next day was when Raye decided to ask Jedite about the dress. After chores were finished, she approached his room. Inside, Jedite was very quietly cleaning his room with his telekinesis.

"I'm surprised you did that as I walked in. I could have been with Grandpa." Raye's tone was casual, not confrontational.

"Footsteps." Jedite answered. "Your grandfather walks on his toes more. You plant your heels. It creates a very distinct sound. I knew you were alone."

"That's...pretty amazing." Raye answered. "Is that a special ability you possess?"

"No, just something that happened through years of observation. You could do it too, if you tried. What may I do for you, has Nephrite struck again?"

"I don't think so. I haven't seen anything unusual. Anyway, I wanted to ask you a question about your telekinesis." Jedite looked at Raye peculiarly.

"What of it? I've had it since birth."

"I know, it's incredible. It's a very useful skill, in and outside of battle."

"Indeed." Jedite agreed. "But what is the question? You know I've had this ability."

"What can you do with it?"

"Whatever I can imagine." He answered.

"So...you do something as big as uprooting a tree, or small, like threading a needle?"

"There are limitations. Things made of energy are more difficult, living creatures even more so. But in response to your examples, the answer would be yes."

"Great!" Raye exclaimed, Jedite looked at her strangely again.

"Actually, I was hoping I could ask you for a favor." Raye began.

"And what would that be?" Jedite asked.

"Well, there's this contest coming up, and it's to make a homemade wedding dress..." Raye started.

"Hey, no fair, Raye! Thinking of Jedite was my idea!" A voice from the doorway, soon revealed to be Serena, called out.

"Back off, Meatball Head. I got here first." Raye shot back.

"You need a wedding dress?" Jedite questioned. He knew what a wedding was. It was an idea he had for gathering energy once, but ultimately he decided against it: Only so many people got married, more people could be reached elsewhere. The women wore very elaborate white dresses that were quite beautiful.

"Yeah, and the prize is a free wedding reception." Raye replied.

"Hmmm...wouldn't you need to get married to take advantage of that?" Jedite questioned.

"Redeemable when you get married. So we're all set for down the road." Serena cheered.

"Sorry, but you seem to have the wrong idea. Telekinesis does what I will it to do, but I must know what it is I am doing. I wouldn't know how to make a dress, certainly not one to win a contest."

"Oh." Raye got upset. "And why do you need Jedite anyway, Serena, your mom is a full-time homemaker."

"She can't sew." Serena returned. "Looks like I came over here for nothing. So, Jedite, did you meet anyone interesting today?"

"Interesting?" Jedite questioned. "Just some guests. And one very...forward woman."

"Woman?" Serena teased. Raye knew Serena loved to play matchmaker. She was as bad as Raye's grandfather, at times.

"I'd...rather not discuss it." Jedite replied. "Have you discovered if Nephrite has made his next attack. Queen Beryl is not patient, and he would be working quickly."

"Sorry, I don't know." Serena shrugged. "Now tell me about this woman."

"Serena, enough." Raye defended. "He doesn't have to talk about it if he doesn't want to. It's not about Queen Beryl or our enemies. Now get lost if you're going to insist." Serena giggled, but left.

"That girl...Sorry, Jedite. Forget about that whole wedding dress thing. I shouldn't have asked."

"That is...alright." Jedite remarked. "I've already forgotten."

* * *

The next day, Patricia Haruna was going to head to the Hikawa Shrine to talk to the handsome caretaker, Jed, again. But she had to make a quick pitstop at home, first. She needed to pick the right outfit. Dating was war, and Patricia fought every battle like it was her last.

As she was changing, her phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Is this Patricia?" It was a man's voice on the other line. It took a second, but Patricia recognized it as Daniel Watson, betrothed to dear Helen Lambert.

"This is. Hello, Daniel." Patricia greeted him warmly. "How are the wedding plans going?"

"I...I was hoping I could speak to you about that. Have you spoke to Helen recently?"

"No, not since yesterday. She was looking for dress fabric for her gown. Is something wrong?"

"Well, that's why I'm asking. She hasn't been answering my calls. I've stopped by but, she snapped at me. Have I offended her in some way?" Daniel spoke in a very depressed tone, and it worried Patricia. Helen was a sweet, loving woman who never raised her voice. That she would snap would be odd. But Patricia had heard nothing.

"Let me try her, and I will call right back." Patricia remarked kindly. She had time before she went to meet with Jed. Time enough for a friend. She dialled Helen's number, and the phone rang five times before she answered.

"Whatever you're selling, not interested." Helen's voice was cross and direct, surprising Patricia intensely.

"Helen, it's Patricia." She remarked quickly.

"Oh. I'm busy, go chase some desperate sap." Helen remarked even more rudely before hanging the phone up.

"_What?" _Patricia nearly dropped the phone. Daniel was right in every way, and she couldn't bear to tell the man what transpired. She called him back and told the lie that she did not answer. Patricia wished she didn't. She would have to go over there soon, and find out what was wrong.

But for now, she wanted to go meet Jed. She had made these plans already, and perhaps Helen was merely ill. Tomorrow, she might feel better.

* * *

Jedite was sweeping when the woman from two days ago came up the steps. She was dressed impeccably, and somewhat provocatively.

"Hello, Jed." She greeted him warmly.

"Good day...Patricia. I believe that was it."

"That's right. So, let me tell you all about the sights of the city. We could even go tonight, if you wanted."

"Hmmm...well, my chores are complete..." Jed commented.

"Perfect!" Patricia replied. "A night of drinks, dinner, and dancing. It'll be a great way to see this wonderful city."

"I'm...I'm afraid I'm quite limited in my funds." Jedite replied. He never needed funds while working with Queen Beryl, being able to hypnotize or knock out others tended to avoid those problems easily.

"Oh, don't mind that. I'll take care of it tonight. But you'll have to treat me when you're rolling in the funds. I'll wait right here, go ahead and get changed." Patricia was aggressive, and assumed answers on the part of Jedite. He found himself a little put off. Usually, people were only like that when they wanted something. What did Patricia want.

But Jedite's curiosity was peaked. He needed to find something interesting around here, lest he go insane. Perhaps this experience would be beneficial. Couldn't hurt.

"Please excuse me." Jedite bowed for a moment, then stepped into his room. He concentrated, and his disguise powers triggered again, and Jedite was wearing a dark green silk shirt, tan sport coat, formal black pants, and black loafers. Enough to pass a dress code, but flexible enough to move in: The woman did say that dancing would be a part of the evening's festivities.

"_Well, here we go." _Jedite thought as he exited his room. As he walked towards the door, Jedite ran into Raye, bringing tea to her grandfather.

"You look really nice this evening. Are you headed out?" Raye asked.

"I am. That...that woman from yesterday has asked me for a night of...what did she say...drinks, dinner and dancing."

"You're going on a date?"

"N...no." Jedite denied. "She has offered to show me the sights of town. It might be a nice change of pace."

"Well, you have a nice night, Jedite." Raye smiled.

"Thank you." Jedite stepped outside to meet with Haruna.

* * *

Raye thought it was odd that Jedite would be going out like this. Raye knew that the woman from two days ago was flirting with him, looking for a date, no matter what she called it. For all his manipulation, Jedite was susceptible to it himself. And drinking and dancing? Did the Negaverse have such things?

Jedite didn't seem happy at the prospect of his night out. He viewed it more as a curiosity. If he wasn't interested, he could have said no. Perhaps he was a lot more lost in the ways of the world than Raye thought.

If that was the case, it probably wasn't good to put him around a pushy woman like this flirty woman, and around alcohol. Perhaps she'd have to follow him tonight.


	13. An Unenchanted Evening

"Wow, and I thought you looked good in traditional clothes." Patricia praised Jedite, and he felt a bit nervous being praised like that. Many times, during the time he was gathering energy, was he praised by women for his looks. At the time, he only thought to use his looks, which garnered notice even in the Negaverse, to assist in the mission. Now, it was just praise, and it almost felt as if Jedite was leaving a task unfinished.

"Thank you. Your dress is very flattering." Jedite returned.

"Well, follow me. We're going to paint the town red!" Haruna cheered. Jedite figured that must have been an expression, but said nothing as he followed her down the steps.

* * *

Raye was silent for a moment, thinking about Jedite and his date tonight. How odd that he wold suddenly jump into that. It bothered her, more than she'd care to admit, that Jedite was going on a date. Her own date with Darien was anything but magical, and she wasn't even certain he was interested in her.

By contrast, this flirty woman seemed to eat of Jedite's hand. Was it always so easy for the men to get dates like that?

Serena and Amy were coming over later today to discuss possible targets that Nephrite could be going after. Jedite was right about one thing: Queen Beryl would not wait around. Amy was on time and prepared, but Serena was late as always.

"The end of the world could be upon us and you still wouldn't be punctual." Raye criticized.

"Sorry." Serena moaned. "But my mom had made this delicious..."

"Hey, where's Jedite?" Amy asked, eager to stop Serena's food-based rantings.

"He's...he's not here tonight. He's going on a, well, he met a friend." Raye replied. Serena and Amy stared for a moment.

"And when you say friend..."

"There's this flirty woman who came to the shrine. She was all over him, and she got him to go out with her. Seeing the sights of town, spells a date in any language."

"Ooh." Serena giggled, clearly amused with the whole thing.

"Serena, this is hardly the time to be commenting on Jedite's love life." Amy criticized.

"So, Raye, who's the mystery woman?" Serena ignored Amy.

"Well, she has long red hair. Green eyes. Wore a lot of makeup, but was kinda pretty."

"That sounds like Ms. Haruna." Amy noted. Serena burst out laughing at that revelation.

"Serena, I know that laugh. What did you plan?" Raye demanded.

"Oh, nothing." Serena continued to laugh.

"Serena." Raye was in no mood for games.

"Well...since you wanna know. I kinda let it slip around Ms. H that Jedite was new in town. And single. She just did the rest." Serena laughed for a moment. Raye waited patiently until she finished laughing.

"Are you finished?" Raye asked. Serena laughed.

"What is the matter with you!" Raye accused.

"What?" Serena was dumbfounded.

"Serena, why would you set Jedite on a date?"

"Well...because he should get out more?"

"Serena, has Jedite ever gone on a date in his life? Does he know what dating is? Would he even be interested in this woman? Did you ask him if he was okay with this? Or did you set him up with your teacher so she'd show up late tomorrow and forget to collect math homework."

"Umm...I just..."

"Serena." Amy's tone was not as harsh as Raye's, but it certainly voiced disapproval. "Jedite is a very awkward place, and the best thing would be to be introduced to these things slowly. To set him up with a woman as...predatory as Ms. Haruna. Jedite's biting off more than he can chew with her."

"Uhhh..." Serena's face started to get depressed, and Raye knew that she and Amy had made it clear this was wrong.

"It's too bad he didn't say where they were going, or else I would make you march in there and take him back." Raye snarled. After getting it all out, Raye waited silently as Amy went through a few people who were acting a little weirdly. None of it seemed promising, they weren't doing total 180s like that friend of hers, Mr. Baxter. She wouldn't if Jedite, were he here, could have helped out more.

* * *

"Drink up!" Haruna placed a long, narrow glass full of a peach-colored fizzing liquid in front of Jedite.

"What is it?" Jedite asked.

"Champagne. You've never had champagne before?"

"I have not." Jedite politely sipped the drink. It had a strange taste Jedite couldn't put his finger on, but it wasn't bad. It tasted a bit like grapes, which, presumably, it was made from.

"It's from France. Have you been to France?" Patricia drank her champagne far quicker than Jedite did.

"No." Jedite replied. It would not do to try and fib his way with his limited knowledge of the world.

"So, anyway, what brings you to town? You visiting or staying?"

"Well, for a time, at least." Jedite answered. He had no where else to go, and there was no reason to believe things would be different anywhere else. Beryl's eyes may have been focused on Tokyo, but she thought he was dead. It didn't matter where he went, and here, he at least had the Sailor Scouts, and something to do.

"Tell me more about yourself." Jedite steered. Humans were vain creatures, and indulged in themselves all the time. She began her story, ordering more glasses of champagne. Jedite did not attempt to match her pace of drinking, but he drank more of the beverage to be polite.

If this was a date, like Raye had with Darien, he just didn't see the fascination humans had with it.

"It's nice to meet other people." Haruna appeared amused, but Jedite found the date somewhat lacking.

"With Helen acting all strange, it's nice to have someone else to go out with. I thought we'd all have fun before the wedding."

"Strange? Wedding?" Jedite asked.

"Oh yes." Haruna topped off Jedite's glass. "Ever since she started working on her wedding dress, she's been so...deadset and determined. But she's snapping at me and her man. She's usually such a sweet woman too."

"She...my understand of weddings is that people are always nervous."

"What's to be nervous about? All girls dream of weddings, they want to be that radiant beauty in white. Not me, though. No one ever said they'll marry me. Come on, Jed, that champagne won't drink itself. Then we need to hit the dance floor!"

Jedite drank the glass. Why now, when this Helen, whoever she was, had all the signs of being Nephrite's target, would this chatty woman clam up.

"Perhaps...perhaps we could see if she..." Jedite could barely string together his sentences.

"Come on, honey, let's show off the moves you learned overseas." Patricia grabbed Jedite's arm, and he wasn't exactly sure what happened next.

* * *

It was getting really late, and Jedite wasn't home yet. Raye was getting really worried. Thank goodness there wasn't school the next day, for Raye was forcing Serena to stay up until Jedite came back and apologize for setting him up on this date. Of course, keeping Serena awake was a full-time duty in and of itself, and Raye realized she would have to stay up to make sure Serena stayed up.

"Raye, it's almost midnight." Serena moaned.

"I'm not tired, and neither will you be." Raye lied, she was exhausted. But this was Serena's fault, and Raye was going to make sure she fixed it. Serena just moaned some more as the two waited outside. Lit only by lantern light, even Raye found the shrine could be a bit spooky at night.

"Serena, why did you think this would be a good idea?" Raye asked. She had calmed down somewhat.

"What else should he do?" Serena replied.

"Make friends, first." Raye answered.

"With who?" Serena asked. Raye didn't know. She may have been an outcast, separated from others because of whispers and rumors, that she could be really strange and predict the future. They viewed her as weird.

But Jedite wasn't just an outcast, he was completely isolated. He had to fake everything about himself just to be considered human, and even then, his personality could rub off on others.

Raye supposed she could understand Serena wanting him to meet a woman, but it was far too early, and Jedite needed to be comfortable around other humans first.

Raye heard sounds coming from the steps. Had Jedite returned? The steps were being taken very slowly, and heavily, as if someone was staggering up them.

"Come on!" She ordered Serena as she ran too them. It may have been hard to see in the moonlight, but as Raye came to the steps, she could see a ridiculous, stumbling drunkard making his way up the steps.

It took two glances for her to realize that it was Jedite.


	14. First Steps

Raye was taken aback by the strong smell of alcohol when she reached Jedite on the steps. She was amazed that he'd be so careless: Every time she had known him to go on plots disguising himself as a human, he had displayed the utmost care to maintain cover.

Assisting the semi-conscious Jedite wasn't as hard as hauling him when he was unconscious, but it was still pretty difficult for Raye to finally get him up. It was the first time she was upset at the fact she lived up so many stairs. Bringing him back to his room was a simpler task.

"Wow." Serena was amazed. "What happened to him."

"He's stone-drunk." Raye replied. "Thanks to your crazy teacher. Now help me get him into bed."

Once Jedite was safely in bed, Raye turned to Serena.

"You're staying up."

"What? But I'm tired!"

"This is all your fault." Raye replied. "So when he wakes up, you're the one who's going to apologize for ever doing this to him." She rudely demanded, but knew she was in the right. How could Serena be so thoughtless. Raye knew that she set Jedite up with her teacher merely to make her homework load easier. Raye was infuriated as she left the room to salvage what sleep she could from the night.

* * *

Jedite wasn't sure what time it was when he woke up, but he wish he hadn't. He could barely open his eyes because of how bright it was. His head was pounding, his throat was dry, and, if that bird outside didn't stop chirping, he would throw whatever he could at it with his telekinesis, cover or no cover.

He could hear someone breathing in his room, but when he tried to open his eyes to look, the light was so bright he had to shut them.

It took some time, but eventually, he was able to slowly open his eyes a bit. He could see both Serena and Raye.

"You're awake." Raye stated, and the loud sound of her voice jarred Jedite.

"Not so loud." He replied.

"I'm whispering."

"Are you alright?" Serena asked. "Here, have some water. Drink slowly. " Jedite noticed a cup in front of him. He grabbed it and downed the entire thing. It was quite tasty, although Jedite knew it was just plain water.

"What on Earth just happened?" He leaned back

"You came back here past midnight, completely drunk. What were you doing last night?" Raye asked.

"I met that woman. She gave me this...champagne, whatever that is. And then...the rest of it I don't remember too well."

"That's alcohol. People drink that when they go out. You drank too much." Raye answered. "On that note, Serena." Raye's tone changed to accusatory.

"Ummm...Jedite. I...know who that woman was." Serena's tone was nervous and fearful.

"Huh?" Jedite posed.

"She...she's my teacher. She's single and very lonely and I thought maybe...but it doesn't matter, I shouldn't have done it without talking to you first. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Serena became very sad, and Jedite began to feel a little guilty, perhaps the first time he had ever felt that way. Serena had shown him so much kindness, he wasn't used to receiving it. He didn't like it when she felt bad.

"Well...it may have...had its upside."

"Upside?" Raye questioned. "Please don't say you stayed with her at her house."

"Huh?" Jedite wondered, but decided he didn't want her to continue. "No, I mean. She talked about a friend of hers, a woman getting married. Who...started making...a dress, I think. And now she's gone crazy, obsessive, and lashing out at people she knows. Sounds like Nephrite's next target."

"Who?" Raye questioned.

"She said the name was Helen." Jedite answered.

"Ms. Lambert?" Recognition flashed in Serena's voice. "Oh no, the contest!"

"We don't have time to think about the contest." Raye criticized.

"No, I mean Ms. Lambert will be there, won't she? Let's call Amy and meet." Serena's footsteps were heard running out the door.

"Well, thanks. Jedite, that was quite helpful. Too bad it had to be obtained like this. Are you feeling better?" Raye asked. It was rare to see such a warm side to her, but Jedite liked it.

"Yes." He answered. "I'll just...I'll lay down a bit. I'll feel better by the time you get back."

"I hope so. I still can't believe Serena would do that." Raye complained. "Feel better, okay." Raye departed after Serena. There they went to save the day, not that Jedite could do much else now in his condition.

He managed to sit up, and it helped his head to stop swimming. He recognized that woman: Patricia Haruna. She had come to the gym where he was harvesting energy, and was one of his more...active participants, and she had sent a love letter on another of his plots. It seemed she was a gullible trusting idiot, and her energy had been used a number of times.

She didn't notice him, but Jedite remembered. He wouldn't want to be around her again. It reminded him greatly of what he used to do, and who he used to be.

But at the same time, aside from drinking all of that champagne, he actually did like that he went out like that. It would have been nice if he could remember what happened. Such as the whole dancing part.

And then, he remembered that Darien, Raye's boyfriend, although only in her eyes, had made the offer to become friends, to associate. Perhaps there were other things that the human world could offer that weren't drinking champagne until one could not remember what happened.

Haruna was looking for a date, and perhaps dating was not something to do. But Darien and Jedite both liked females for that sort of thing. Perhaps the two of them would merely be friends, like the three Sailor Scouts.

What could be the harm in trying?

* * *

The three Scouts convened at the contest. A line of women in dresses, some quite lovely, were waiting outside of a large concert hall.

"The event's open to the public, but we can't wait around." Amy noted.

"Right. I'll enter the contest using the Disguise Pen." Serena remarked. "You two go be in the audience."

"I hope you're not planning on trying to win." Raye replied.

"Oh, come on, Raye, we have work to do." Serena replied, but Raye glared at her, and it was clear she didn't believe her.

"Serena, Raye's right." Amy agreed. "We need to ascertain whether or not Ms. Lambert is Nephrite's target or not. Besides, if you used the Pen, you wouldn't have made the dress, and that would be cheating."

"Yeah, you have to make it yourself!" Raye agreed.

"So who was the one who tried to have Jedite make it?" Serena reversed.

"You said you came up with that idea first!" Raye retaliated, and the two were locked in a staring match.

"You two, that's enough!" Amy delivered firmly. It was rare that she'd speak very loudly, but when she did, the other two listened.

"How about we concentrate on our mission instead of this stupid contest and exploiting Jedite's powers for personal gain. Serena, find a place to transform safely. Raye, let's get into the audience. Now let's move, on the double!"

* * *

"Hello!" Darien was about to head out when his phone rang.

"Hello, Darien?" The voice on the phone was slightly familiar, but Darien couldn't put his finger on it.

"Yes."

"This is Jed. From the temple."

"Oh, oh right!" Recognition sounded in Darien's head. Jed, the caretaker from the temple. The new guy in town.

"How are you?" Darien asked.

"I have been better. My outing with a woman last night didn't go so well. She fed me too much champagne."

"Ouch." Darien chuckled. "Happens to us all. You should see the girls at K.O. I still remember when Andrew called me at 1 in the morning and didn't know where he was."

"Raye and the girls headed to some wedding dress contest. Perhaps we could hang out, like you mentioned?" Jed asked.

"Actually, sure." Darien replied. "I'm headed out to meet Andrew. His girlfriend made the shortlist to go to Africa on an archaeological dig. So I'm taking the lug out to celebrate. You could join us, Andrew loves meeting new people. Meet me at the Fruits Parlor Crown in an hour." Darien proceeded to give Jed the directions to the place. Darien hung the phone up and smiled a bit. He couldn't help but see a little of himself in Jed. He seemed so much like Darien as a teenager, all listless, bored, and angry.

An afternoon out was not the way to completely fix this problem, but it would definitely start the process.

* * *

In the crowd of women, Serena waited anxiously, but saw no sign of Ms. Lambert anywhere. Where could she be? If Jedite was correct, she was obsessed with making her dress, and, with the date of the wedding months away, this would be the only place to show it off.

Even though Serena knew she was on a mission, she couldn't help but feel pretty good on the stage, with the women loving her dress. Many women admired it.

"_Ooh, if I could only win the contest." _She thought. The women all assembled in a line in front of the curtains, which were supposed to be drawn until the guest host was set to emerge.

"And now, welcome our beautiful blushing brides." The contest host, a wiry-looking priest, was all smiles.

"And to help me pick the winner, please welcome our positively stunning..." The curtains began to draw, and standing at the top of a set of stairs was a tall, imposing woman in a wedding dress. As the lights focused on her, Serena gasped. Ms. Lambert, who was not the actual guest host, was standing at the top of the stairs. She stood tall and ramrod straight, with an icy gaze, in sheer contrast to Ms. Lambert's normally sweet demeanor.

"What fools. Wasting all of your energy. Let me put it to better use!" Ms. Lambert's eyes flashed red, and all around her, brides began to fall unconscious. This was definitely Nephrite's work.

"You ruin all of these women's dreams? The dream of a wedding is something held in every girl's heart, and I won't let you ruin it. I will put you out with the trash!" Serena declared boldly.

"Why are my powers not affecting you?" Ms. Lambert remarked as she reached the bottom of the steps. Before she could take another step, the woman stopped in place and twitched intensely. And then, a dark shadow emerged from the woman's dress, and Ms. Lambert seemed to faint. The shadow solidified in it's form, and became a spider-looking monster.

"I will not allow this!" Sailor Moon reached for her brooch, tucked into her dress. This bug was about to be squashed.

* * *

After changing his clothes to something more appropriate, Jedite had headed to the parlor to meet Darien. He was right on time, and the man was downright friendly.

"Andrew's family owns this place. He works in the arcade downstairs." Darien explained. "Come on, let's get a seat." Darien and Jedite went inside.

"Hey Andrew!" Darien called over to a blonde guy, about the same age as Darien himself.

"Hey, Darien. Who's your friend?"

"This is Jed, he's new in town. He lives at Raye's temple, works as the caretaker." Darien gave a quick rundown.

"Hi there!" Anderw was a pleasant and friendly guy. It came from having to work in the service industry: Jedite had to disguise himself and deal with people all the time, and they responded better to a kind face.

"I'm told that your girlfriend is an archeologist?" Jedite made conversation. While he was perfectly capable of talking to people, he knew he wasn't any good at it. Jedite had been determined at his job, and aside from reporting to Queen Beryl, talked to few others. The other generals were a group of despotic schemers, and the only one who was interested in him was Titus, one of Queen Beryl's youma, now dead by Sailor Moon's hand.

Andrew talked about his girlfriend, named Rita. Darien interjected at times, and Jedite just stayed silent.

"Hey now, big brother." The waitress, a spunky looking redhead, game over with sodas, and took a seat.

"Hey, Lizzie." Andrew smiled. "Jed, this is my kid sister, Elizabeth, just call her Lizzie." Andrew introduced. The three of them began to chat, about Rita for the most part. Darien and Lizzie were both teasing Andrew about marriage.

"_What is this?" _Jedite wondered. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even Andrew, who was being teased. They seemed so happy around each other.

"Jed, you've been real quiet." Darien pointed out.

"Well, you guys all know each other." Jedite returned. "No sense in me interrupting."

"Not at all, we're here as a group. So tell us more about yourself. Rita's an archaeologist, Darien and I study medicine, and Lizzie wants to be a designer. What about you?" Andrew asked. All three of them were smiling and eager to hear Jedite's answer, and he had none to give.

"Well, like I said before, I live and work at the temple. I'm new in town. I suppose that's my job. I don't really know what else I would do."

"What do you know?" Lizzie asked. "That's a good place to start."

"Lots of things." Jedite replied. For each mission, Jedite had to assume a guise, and part of maintaining the illusion was knowledge. It wouldn't do for a fitness instructor to not understand exercise, or for a ship captain to not understand nautical terms. It would arouse suspicion.

"You're used to playing a lot of different roles, huh?"

"Yeah." Jedite admitted.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find something. Just give it a shot, what's the harm? Take a walk around town, look which places have help wanted signs, and go for it!" Lizzie cheered. Jedite laughed a bit. It did seem pretty easy, and what did he have to lose? Perhaps employment would help him acclimate to this world.

"Try the Square on Main." Andrew offered. "That's where a lot of the commercial shops are."

"They're having a casting call there tomorrow. Looking for new male faces, star alongside Saffron. Oh, I just love her!" Lizzie squealed a bit.

"Really?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, for that soap opera you'll never admit you watch." Darien teased, and everyone laughed. Jedite found himself laughing too, and enjoying the company with these three. Perhaps, if he did find a job, and was getting money, they'd have to do this more often.

* * *

"Man, I am wiped!" Serena moaned as the three walked back to the temple. That spider-monster was a hard fight, but Sailor Moon triumphed in the end. She always did.

"At least we helped Ms. Lambert. Hopefully, she didn't hurt anyone's feeling while possessed, like her future husband's." Amy remarked.

"He'll forgive her. Ms. Haruna said so." Serena returned. "Aw man, when she tied me up in that silk...I wonder where Tuxedo Mask was, anyway."

"It's not a good idea to rely on him." Luna, riding on Amy's shoulder, pointed out.

"Still, would have been nice. A tuxedo, a bride, it's simple math." Raye teased.

"Back off, Raye, he's mine!" Serena hissed. The two started to argue as they reached the temple. At the base of the steps were a group of four people, three men and a schoolgirl. When they got closer, Serena saw that the men were Andrew from the arcade, Darien, and Jedite, although she didn't know the girl.

"Oh, I had a great time. It was so nice to meet you, Jed." Andrew shook hands with Jed.

"Indeed. It was." Jedite agreed.

"Well, we gotta get back. Darien and I have organic chemistry exams shortly, and we gotta do well."

"You never study." Darien replied. "You always do well."

"You're always watching your soaps." The girl teased Andrew, and the three walked off, leaving Jedite at the steps. He turned around to notice the girls.

"Oh!" Jedite was surprised to see them. "How was the contest?"

"It was Nephrite, definitely, but we stopped them!"

"Well done." Jedite nodded.

"Were you hanging out with Darien?" Raye asked.

"Yes." Jedite replied. Serena was surprised to see Jedite getting out and being more sociable.

"Did you have a good time?" Amy asked. Jedite paused for a moment, as if uncertain how to answer.

"Yes." Was his final answer.


	15. Great Pretenders

"Everything is controlled by the stars." Nephrite concentrated intently on the swieling astrological map in front of him. A task which would soon become impossible when he heard Zoicite's laughter behind him.

"Having any luck yet?" Zoicite teased.

"Back off, Zoicite. I'm in no mood for you today." Nephrite growled.

"It seems you're having all the success of Jedite." Zoicite returned. "Perhaps I should ask Queen Beryl if you need any assistance."

"I'd sooner take it from Jedite than you." Nephrite growled. Zoicite was quite ambitious, and a backstabbing schemer, and, even if Nephrite were to request aid, he'd never take it from her.

"Aw, I'm hurt." Zoicite spoke in a non-serious fashion.

"Get lost!" Nephrite ordered. He then began to clear his head as Zoicite teleported away.

"Stars. Show me another target." He concentrated. He then saw an image of a man, wearing a baseball cap, shades, and holding a megaphone.

"Interesting." Nephrite thought. "This is Carlos Abernathy. Searching for actors for his soap opera, a casting call tomorrow." Nephrite knew he would not participate in such an event himself. That was the sort of careless and base thought that got Jedite into trouble. He'd observe, as he always did. And push at the right moments.

Then he remembered the last time he thought of Jedite. How Nephrite wondered whether or not Jedite was actually slain in that airport explosion. Beryl had claimed the Sailor Scouts were, but that was in error.

It wasn't worth looking into: Jedite had been told the punishment for failure was Eternal Sleep, and he certainly wouldn't return to face that. And the Scouts were alive, that was a failure. Then again, even if he survived the explosion, it's doubtful the Scouts would simply let him live; they were foes.

So he decided not to waste anymore time thinking about it.

* * *

Jedite woke up very early the next day. That girl Lizzie had given him a good idea on where to go to look for a job. How hard could it be? Jedite had posed for numerous jobs, and with his own abilities, he'd really have a leg up on any competition.

Jedite was always a little nervous with crowds. He was disguised as a human when he wasn't, it wasn't exactly conducive to calm. But soon he reached the square. Just as Lizzie said, there were lots of shops and commercial spaces here. Some of which had signs looking for help in the windows.

"_Okay, Jedite. Just take a look and see if you'd be interested. If you don't, there's another place." _Jedite thought as he looked. The signs only said help wanted in the windows, it didn't explain exactly what was needed. Most of the stores though, weren't ones he wanted to work in.

Jedite continued to walk around for a bit, making notes on which shops could be possibilities. As he started to review them in his head, he took his mind off of what was in front of him, and crashed right into another person.

"Oh!" The voice was female, and she fell to the ground.

"Oh, my." Jedite paused for a moment. He knew that the most appropriate course of action was to help her up. As he did, he couldn't help but recognize her. This was Saffron, the actress and idol he had one of his youma impersonate.

It seemed no matter where he went, he always ran into these people.

"Are...you alright?" Jedite asked. The words sounded weird in his mouth, but he knew it was the correct thing to say.

"Yes. I'm sorry." Saffron replied. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Neither was I." Jedite remarked.

"So what brings you here?"

"Looking for employment."

"You too?" Saffron asked.

"I thought you were Saffron, the actress."

"I am. Sorry, I was unclear." Saffron replied. "I'm helping my director cast some new faces. So I'm looking for employment too, just not for myself." She laughed, Jedite did too.

"You're...looking for actors?"

"Yes, of course. It's an open call, so if you want to give it a shot, I'll take you there. I should get back anyway.

"You...think I'd be good enough?"

"Well, you're handsome enough to be on TV. And you've got drive to get a job, that's important. What have you got to lose?" Saffron asked. Jedite shrugged, but it was the truth. What did he have to lose?

* * *

At the auditorium for the casting call, Nephrite noticed his target. He was a fast-working, easily-frustrated man, downing hot coffee like no tomorrow. A few of the targets, he was stating to come back in a few days, but most were outright dismissed.

Nephrite knew exactly when to strike, the moment after the casting was finished, and the man had his finalists chosen. He'd work hard, trying to figure out who was the best, asking them to repeat lines, wear costumes, and all that such. Energy that could have a much greater use.

"Hey!" Someone finally noticed Nephrite in the corner.

"Well, hello." Nephrite acted calmly and casually.

"Who are you, this is a closed set?"

"Oh? Not even to one of the sponsors?" Nephrite asked with a slight bit of an edge. These humans followed money, and Nephrite knew that many television shows were paid with advertising money.

"Umm...well..."

"May I speak to the director?" Nephrite asked.

"Umm..."

"Nevermind, I'll go myself." Nephrite stepped forward to see his target.

"Who are..." The director, Nephrite's target, began to ask.

"How is the shooting going?" Nephrite asked. "As a sponsor, I just wanted to know everything about my favorite show." Nephrite put his charms into overdrive. If there was one thing Jedite knew how to do, it was how to charm, and Nephrite was smart enough to know that, even though Jedite was the least of the four generals, this was a talent that had many applications.

"You're...a sponsor?" The man asked.

"Yes, I'm Maxfield Stanton, and I was worried for a moment about this casting call. I was afraid my favorite show would be off the air." Nephrite spoke to the man, and he seemed to calm down.

"Oh, we pride ourselves on bringing in new talent. Keep everything fresh. After all, Saffron was practically an unknown before she came to us.'

"That is so true. Perhaps we could discuss a contribution later. For the...new actor's inevitable expenses. Strictly off the books, of course."

"Well...yes, of course."

"Perhaps I could attend your callbacks." Nephrite remarked. He then slipped the man a 5000 yen banknote. Money talked in the human world as loudly as Queen Beryl did in Nephrite's.

"Well, certainly." The man smiled. Nephrite then heard the door to the rear open, and in stepped a young woman, with a slightly older blonde man.

"Saffron, you're back." The man replied.

"Yes sir. I brought a friend who'd like to try out." The girl answered.

"I suppose we have some more time. All right...what's your name?" The director asked the blonde man with Saffron.

"It's...It's Jed. Jed...Hanson." The man replied.

"Alright, Jed, get on the stage." The man directed.

"Follow me, Jed." Saffron told the blonde man, and the two walked past Nephrite, who stepped aside to allow them passage. As soon as the blonde man passed Nephrite, he felt a wave of familiar energy. A dark power.

"Excuse me." Nephrite called to this Jed.

"Yes?" The man asked. Nephrite looked at him a moment. What was this strange power he felt. He felt nothing from that Saffron girl, or any of the other prospects, either those that failed or succeeded. Who was this man?

"I'm sorry, I must get to the stage." The blonde man turned around, and walked to the stage. Nephrite looked at that man a while longer. Who was he? And what was this wave of dark energy? It felt...familiar.

Jed Hanson was his name. While Nephrite knew this mission took precedence, he would have to remember it.


	16. Read Your Lines

For a moment, Jedite was almost unable to concentrate on the acting. He was almost certain of it, that man who stopped him before he went on the stage was Nephrite. He could feel the familiar energy signature, and pieced together the rest himself.

Nephrite's next target must have been here. Saffron was with him, so it couldn't have been her. But there were tons of people coming in and out for the audition. How on Earth was Jedite supposed to deduce which one it was. He couldn't sense any youma nearby. Did Nephrite not attack yet? He was watching the entire thing.

Jedite tried to blot him out. A person who acted suspicious was suspicious, and Jedite needed to act cool.

"Alright, what's your name?" The director asked.

"Jed."

"Alright, Jed. Just read through the script." The man stated. Saffron handed Jedite some plain pieces of paper. From the looks of it, the scene was about a couple, a detective and a witness.

"Oh, Detective." Saffron went into her lines. "There is nothing more I could tell you of my husband's death."

"The slightest detail could help. You'd be surprised how the smallest detail can trigger. An unfamiliar scent, a sound, an unexpected phone call."

"I don't know what you hope to gain, Detective Lawson. All I'm going is reliving my husband's murder every day since he's gone. How can you know what it's like to wake up in the morning and not be with the man you love?" Saffron delivered. She was talented, that much was certain.

"Your husband was murdered by the Black Widow." Jedite read the script. "The Black Widow is a serial murderer. She won't stop with him. I'm trying to put her behind bars before someone else loses a husband. But you're right, what can you do? It's not your problem anymore. Your husband's dead!" Jedite turned around, putting his back to Saffron.

"How dare you!" Saffron stepped towards him and rose up her hand. According to the script, he was supposed to let the girl slap him. What sort of weakling would allow that? He spun around to face Saffron, but instead of letting her hand travel across his face, he grabbed her wrist gently.

"I don't care about you." Jedite remarked. "I don't care about what you've suffered or what your husband did to invite the Black Widow to his doorstep. All I care about is stopping her before she strikes again. How can you say your husband mattered to you if you're willing to let other men suffer his fate, and let their wives suffer as you. Are you just plain evil, or do you want others to suffer like that?" Jedite went completely off-script. Saffron's eyes widened, and then sank to her news.

"All right, Detective." Saffron spoke quietly, and Jedite knew she was keeping along with the drama. "I'll tell you everything I can."

"And cut!" The director yelled. He started to walk up to the stage, and Jedite wondered if the man was going to yell at him, for not making that character as weak and ineffective as the script said.

The man came up to the stage and looked at Jed for a moment. And then, he started to laugh a bit.

"Well, can't you stick to the script, but at least you're interesting. Maybe I should hire you on my screenwriting staff."

"I found the detective to be too much of a wuss." Jedite remarked.

"I'd have to agree." The man Jedite suspected to be Nephrite stood up.

"Oh, Maxfield." The director turned, and Jedite's eyes narrowed. Maxfield Stanton was the name of the tennis coach that Serena said spoke to that girl before she became infected by a youma. Jedite could still feel the energy from that man. It had to be him!

But Jedite needed to play it cool now. Nephrite was a powerful general, and not to be taken lightly.

"Why thank you...err...Mister..."

"Stanton." The man addressed. "I think I rather like the idea of Detective Lawson growing a spine from the hard work of dealing with this killer. And perhaps a love story from our fair Saffron."

'Oh!" Saffron blushed.

"Well...let me discuss this with my screenwriters. For now, um, Jed. Can you come here on Friday for the callbacks?"

"I...can. Thank you, sir. And you to, Mister Stanton."

"My pleasure." Nephrite replied. "Director, how about we get some coffee?"

"Y...yes. We've got about two dozen possibles. That's better than I thought. Saffron, fill your friend in on the date and time and such. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course, sir." Saffron smiled as the director went back to talk with Nephrite, going under the name Maxfield Stanton.

"Congratulations, Jed. Oh, I knew you'd be something." Saffron smiled. "Now, can you be here at 1 in the afternoon? Here." She handed him a white, laminated card, with a logo upon it.

"It's the symbol of the studio." Saffron explained. "We give these to all the finalists. Oh, Jed, I hope you win."

"Mister Stanton seemed to enjoy it." Jedite replied. "Have you seen him before?" Jedite looked towards Nephrite, who was walking and talking with the director. He seemed most interested in him, so he must have been the next target.

"Thank you, Saffron." Jedite replied. "Excuse me." Jedite finished his conversation in time enough to see Nephrite and the director leave. And Jedite couldn't very well run after them, lest he seem suspicious.

"You know, I'm staying at the Hikawa Shrine." Jedite thought for a moment, and turned back to Saffron.

"If there's anything else I should know, that's where I'll be. Thank you. For today." Jedite smiled at Saffron as he exited the auditorium. He could not see Nephrite or the director, and they were too far away for him to sense any youma, were Nephrite to target him now. But at least now, there was a date and time where Jedite knew Nephrite would be.

* * *

"Are you serious?" Raye asked. All of the girls had planned to meet at the temple to discuss strategy. Raye never expected that, while the girls were at school, Jedite had actually gone and done his own reconnaissance.

"I am. I ran into Nephrite today." Jedite answered.

"Where?" Serena asked.

"Downtown. At that auditorium near the...what was it called...the Square on Main. Something like that."

"Oh, what were you doing downtown?" Serena seemed intrigued.

"Are you forgetting. Nephrite?" Jedite remarked with annoyance.

"Having another...secret rendez-vous." Serena started to make kissing noises.

"Serena!" Raye criticized.

"I must admit, I am curious. Who is Nephrite's target."

"A director." Jedite explained. "I saw him talking to the director as they were...holding auditions. Nephrite was talking, being interested. Trying to get close. He needs to do that to implant his youma."

"How did you discover this, Jedite?" Amy asked. If it was Serena, Raye would have quickly shushed her. But now that Amy was asking Raye was intrigued. Amy was quite responsible, and it might be important.

"I...I chanced upon Nephrite." Jedite admitted. "And...well...I auditioned. For some television show."

"Wow." Raye was shocked. "How did it go?"

"I'm going back on Friday. That's what I wanted to talk about. Nephrite said he'd be there to watch. He's claiming to be a sponsor. Of course, he was trying to get close to infect the man with the youma, so he might not actually show, but...we have a date and time, at least."

"This might be a golden opportunity. We can catch Nephrite off guard." Amy remarked.

"Hang on a second. Jedite, you said that you knew he was Nephrite? How?" Raye asked.

"Well, he introduced himself as Maxfield Stanton, the name Serena mentioned from the tennis match. And I could sense him. I sensed his energy."

"If you sensed his energy, could he sense yours?" Raye asked.

"It's possible. But remember, he thinks I'm dead."

"Still, we should be on our guard." Amy interjected. "They thought we were dead too. Jedite, is the event open to the public?"

"No." Jedite replied. "I can get in, but the casting call was just for men, so you might not have a lot of luck getting in through the front door. Maybe I'll find a side door I can prop open."

"That sounds like a good plan. Alright, convene here Friday before we leave." Amy set the plan, and everyone nodded. Serena and Amy departed soon after, leaving Raye alone with Jedite.

"So, Jedite, did you enjoy the acting?" Raye made conversation.

"They did. And it seemed to fit. After all, I pretend to be human all the time. Why not pretend to be something else as well?"

"Well, hopefully you'll get it. It might be a lot of fun." Raye smiled, but in truth, that would mean Jedite wouldn't be around the temple as much. He took over many of the chore duties, which freed Raye up a lot. But more than that, Grandpa was around, and Raye couldn't help but laugh at Jedite's awkward reponses to the old man's flirting.

"_I'm sure once he makes his money, he'll want his own place." _Raye thought. She supposed that was to be expected. He did need to go out and acclimate himself to the world, and that was what people did. They moved from the nest.

And it depressed Raye a lot more than she thought it would.


	17. Winging It

It was pandemonium at the square when Jedite and the Scouts arrived. Being prompt was important, Jedite knew, so they have arrived a half an hour early.

"Alright, here's where we split up." Jedite replied.

"I'm sensing a dark presence nearby." Raye remarked.

"Me too." Jedite agreed. "Nephrite's already made his move. He must have done it after he left with the director and I was dealing with Saffron."

"What's the plan?" Amy, ever the strategist, went into a discussion.

"Is there anyway you could, I don't know, exorcize it?" Serena asked.

"I don't think my charms have ever done that." Raye admitted. "I could paralyze it, but only when it was drawn out."

"I may be able to." Jedite remarked. "If I can figure out where specifically Nephrite implanted it, I may be able to flush it out. The more energy it harvests, the stronger it gets. It might be a lot weaker. If it hasn't gained a lot of energy, I could even neutralize it unseen."

"Don't make a move until we can sneak in." Amy remarked. Jedite agreed. Not having backup would be foolhardy.

"Here." Amy passed Jedite the small, pink communicator she used to communicate with the other scouts. Jedite slipped it into the pocket of his jeans.

"I'll try to get started before the casting call starts." Jedite affirmed the plan, and went off towards the auditorium. As he got closer, he could definitely sense the familiar signature of a youma. Nephrite had definitely made his mark here. And, whether or not Nephrite knew that Jed Hanson was actually Jedite, he would definitely sense that there was a dark energy around him, an energy Jedite would never be able to hide.

Would it intrigue Nephrite enough to make an appearance? And if it did, what would happen? Jedite wondered if he bit off more than he could chew.

* * *

Even before the auditions started, Saffron had come early, hoping to practice her lines, and give this her all. The man who was selected would be her partner, under contract just as she was. It would do to get along with them.

Saffron liked a number of them, although that Jed Hanson was on her mind the most. He had a strong voice, and powerful command over his own features. He was moldable, a quality that Saffron was told gained her the idol status she had wanted so much ever since she was a girl. They could play off of each other well.

Jed would show. He didn't seem to be a chicken. Of course, things might change after he saw the director. He was attacking everything with an almost ridiculous vigor, setting things up, barking out vicious commands to the stagehands and crew. Saffron thought to set him straight, but he shot her a glare so icy it scared her.

She knew that Mr. Abernathy wanted to hire the right man, and make sure he was willing to work. But this was getting to be too much. He'd frighten everyone. Thankfully, the hopefuls weren't going to be admitted to the stage proper until 1:00 on the dot. Perhaps he'd calm down when he knew no one would want to work with him.

Then she heard him shouting to an intern who hadn't white-balanced one of the cameras yet, and Saffron knew this would be a long day.

* * *

Although the access pass Jedite had meant he would have no trouble with anyone, Jedite had to make sure to work fast. He needed to look around the edges of the building, and find an exit that wasn't triggered to the fire alarms. That wasn't easy, as most of them were emergency exits. But there were a number of windows, as well as a few empty storerooms no one seemed to be using.

"Alright, head around the building to the left side. There's an alley there, I'll leave a window open. I'm going to take another look around." Jedite informed the Scouts, before quickly putting the communicator away, and doing his best to look nonchalant.

He looked at his watch. 12:50. With plenty of time.

"_Now who's the failure, Malachite? You couldn't kill me, and now here I am with my own blend of sabotage." _

Jedite waited until 1:00, when the stage doors opened for the men, and they were ushered into a waiting room. Jedite looked around. Most of these guys were in their early 20's, most seemed aloof. Jedite had no interest in talking to any of them. Between the audition itself and attempting his official business, he hadn't the time to get distracted.

Saffron entered shortly, and quickly went to Jedite first.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

"Of course." Jedite smiled. No time like the present. He stood up and followed Saffron onto the stage. As he drew closer, he could feel there was a youma nearby. When the two got on the stage, Jedite could feel it even more. Sitting in the first row was the director, and there was definitely a youma implanted somewhere. It seemed to be localized near his head, so probably inside the baseball cap he was wearing.

"Alright. Time to get to work." The man was brusque, completely unlike his casual manner yesterday. It cemented the deal.

Had the girls arrived yet? Jedite couldn't see them in the audience.

"All right, Mr. Abernathy." Saffron called to him. "We can get started at any time."

"Hmph. Don't think you're off the hook, Saffron. We need everyone at our best, and I might find other talent too if you're too meek." The director barked.

"What?"

"Let's get started. No script, the whole thing's going out the window. We might kill off a number of our cast." The director noted with total irreverence. "You auditioned yesterday as the detective and the witness. Now, I think...Saffrin's going to be the victim. You're a killer, and she's your prey. Make her suffer. Go."

Jedite was so taken aback that he almost forgot to move. Saffron looked completely confused, as if she had no idea what had happened.

"Play along." Jedite whispered to her.

"Why is it the intrepid ones are so stupid? Fell right into a trap." Jedite acted, speaking in a calm, irreverent tone.

"What did you think, little girl? That you were...special? That you were smart? The rules didn't apply? Did you think that after dozens of murders, I wouldn't have a handle on the situation? What is it this time? Reporter, wanting your big scoop? Did I kill someone you know? Or private detective? Well, I suppose it really doesn't matter. The knife, you see, loves to eat pretty things." And then Jedite got right into Saffron's face.

"Boo!" Saffron shuddered.

"What are you planning?" She asked in a meek voice. Talented, she certainly was.

"And they are never patient? Are you eager to die? What's the fun in that? Why not make it interesting? You intrepid types, you love to watch, you like to see. You want to know, what it's like to kill? To take the light? It's right there. Now, do what you do best. Watch." Jedite had been getting closer and closer to Saffron, so that by the time he finished his monologue, his mouth was right beside her ear. He could feel her shiver. He must have been doing a good job. And then Jedite took a step back, then leapt from the stage into the audience making his way towards the director.

"What the..." The director stood up.

"Are you watching, nosy girl? You will be tested." Jedite came up to the director, and cornered him in his seat. He placed his hand on the man's baseball cap. Definitely, the youma was in here.

Nephrite could implant youma without so much as a peep, and Jedite could force it out just as quietly. Once it appeared, however, there would be a battle. He hoped the Scouts were close by.


	18. The Interview Process

Normally, after the youma was implanted, Nephrite would leave a target be. Nephrite's presence would not affect the speed of energy increasing, and he would be far too conspicuous.

But now, there was a significant reason to say, and that was because of Jed Hanson. The strange actor the woman Saffron had brought was unlike any man Nephrite had ever met. While he seemed to be a normal human in every respect, there was something off about him. His energy signature was not that of a normal human, not by a long shot.

In fact, he almost seemed familiar. Was he a youma sent to spy on him? His energy was more powerful than the average one by far, so he couldn't have been one of Zoicite's or even Malachite's. Could Queen Beryl have sent one of her own to observe? For what purpose? Did she not trust Nephrite to get the job done?

While the man was certainly a convincing actor, Nephrite knew he needed this man to be where Nephrite could observe him. If it was simply one of Beryl's agents, he would see that Nephrite did an excellent job.

But that wasn't all it could be. It could be a dark power native to Earth itself. Beryl took interest in such things, and might forge an alliances with a creature if it was powerful and would suit her needs. Or it could be some do-gooder, some self-styled superhero with a few powers that would think to stand against him. He could even be that meddler, Tuxedo Mask.

Nephrite, even with his faked status as a patron, could not get into the auditions, the auditions were behind closed doors. Such must have been a side-effect of the implanted youma. It would show deference if Nephrite stood in front of it, but it gave it's directives to the doormen not to be disturbed, and that included Maxfield Stanton.

Teleporting inside would be risky, as there was no place that was hidden completely from sight where he could do so in secret.

And then, Nephrite sensed an odd presence. His youma had emerged from his host.

"_The energy is not even close to its peak. Why did Mislato emerge now?" _Nephrite wondered. He could no longer chance things .He had to see what was going on.

* * *

"Oh man, it's really busy in here." Serena complained after the three Scouts had snuck into the building through the open window. Jedite had left to do his own reconnaissance, and, of course, to deliver his audition.

Serena couldn't help but laugh to herself. Jedite as an actor? It made perfect sense, considering how many times she believed he was something he totally wasn't. But, stars like these became excessively popular, and Jedite would have to contend with a legion of fangirls. Such attention would excite Serena if a lot of boys were chasing her, but Jedite was uncomfortable with others.

For now, though, she needed to concentrate on this youma, lest Raye yell at her again. The area was quite crowded.

"Try to blend in." Amy remarked. "Act like we belong here, no one will get suspicious. Now, we should find Jedite and meet up with him."

"I'm sensing a dark presence. Faint, but it's there." Raye replied.

"Perhaps Jedite has not made his move yet." Amy wondered.

"I think we should follow it." Raye remarked. And then she bolted away.

"Oh, sometimes that Raye!" Serena remarked. "We shouldn't have to run if we can help it."

* * *

A dark shadow began to erupt from the director's body as Jedite forced the youma out, causing the director to collapse unconscious. Everyone else gasped and screamed. Jedite did too, if only to fake it. The solid black mass soon solidified into the shape of a woman, striped black and white, with a large megaphone.

"It's time to make a few cuts!" The youma stated.

"Oh my God!" Saffron screamed. Various personnel darted away from the creature, and Jedite took a few steps back. The youma pulled her megaphone to her mouth.

"Time for the extras to leave the stage!" She shouted into her megaphone. Jedite felt a rush of wind, which was much more than would happen if someone spoke at him through a megaphone. But aside from ruffle his hair, it didn't do anything. Jedite looked around to see everyone else in the room, still looking scared and confused, but healthy and well.

"What?" The youma asked. Was she attempting some sort of special attack with that megaphone.

"That was pathetic." Jedite noted. "Saffron, get everyone out of here now, while we can! I'll get Mr. Abernathy!"

"Ah-okay!" Saffron's voice squeaked, and ran off, the rest of the crew in hot pursuit."

"So, pretty boy, you think you can handle the great Mislato, director extraordinare!" The youma glared at him. Jedite could sense that this youma was weak, quite weak. However, what bothered him wasn't the ability to not finish off the youma, but that Nephrite could still be around, and his cover blown.

The doors to the side burst open, and in the doorway were Raye and Amy.

"The monster!" Amy shouted. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, she quickly shouted "Mercury Power" to transform.

"Mars Power!" Raye immediately followed suit.

"How dare you creep, think you can ruin the chance of a man's dream! In the name of Mars, I shall punish you, creature!" Mars delivered. She jumped forth, leaping towards the creature, her ofuda in hand.

"Begone, evil spirit!" She remarked, placing it atop the creature's face. Normally, such an attack paralyzed and weakened the monster, Jedite had seen it work to great effect numerous times. And the creature reacted with great pain as it screamed. However, instead of merely becoming paralyzed, Jedite watched in shock as the creature started to disintegrate, from the feet up.

"No! No! No!" The monster screamed before completely disappearing.

"Wow!" Mars was surprised with her own attack. "That's never happened before."

"The monster was, well, exorcized, I suppose is the word that would make the most sense to you." Jedite elaborated "It tried to attack, but it ended up failing. Those youma, they gain in power as the person's energy grows, and they're at their strongest when that person was. I forced it out, so he wasn't."

"Well, that's a useful ability." Mercury noted.

"But I still sense a dark presence nearby." Mars replied.

"I do too." Jedite agreed. "Be ready!" Not long after Jedite spoke, a flash of light filled the room. And, hovering above the stage, was Nephrite, in his full regalia.

"So, the Sailor Scouts think to stop me again!" Nephrite concentrated on Mars and Mercury, and didn't seem to give Jedite another glance.

"Nephrite!" Mars got ready to attack.

"You think to tackle me without your leader?" Nephrite remarked. Jedite was standing near the unconscious director, and saw right next to him was a man's briefcase. Carefully, Jedite picked it up, and without another thought, put as much energy as he could into hurling it straight at Nephrite. It collided with it's target.

A normal human wouldn't have been able to do much to a man like Nephrite, even if it did catch him off guard. But, with Jedite's strength, he was able to knock the man over. Since he was floating in the air, the force of the impact caused Nephrite to turn a complete backflip.

"Whoa!" Mercury was impressed. Nephrite composed himself and locked eyes with Jedite.

"You...monster. How dare you do this to these people!" Jedite tried to act like a human, no matter how silly it sounded.

"I have no time for you creatures." Nephrite chided. "I'll be back!" And the man teleported away.

"Wow, that was amazing, Jedite." Mars praised.

"Indeed. I think I surprised myself as well." Jedite remarked. Nephrite was a strong man, to summon such strength to knock him over was impressive, even by Jedite's standards. Least of the generals? More like the bleatings of overconfident sheep.

"Let's help the director." Mercury had already detransformed and was checking on the director.

"Good idea." Mars quickly de-transformed.

"He looks stable, but we should move him away from these chairs, he could hurt himself. Jedite, can you assist?" Amy asked. It was simple enough to move the man to the stage. As Jedite put him down, he watched the man's eyes open.

"Oh my, what happened?" The director asked.

"I don't know, exactly." Jedite replied. "It must have been some animatronics gone wrong. I sent Saffron and the others to get help. These two girls stopped it. They're...technicians." Jedite covered.

"Well, we try." Amy played along with the charade.

"That felt so real. Too bad we don't have much call for that, but I know some movie producers."

"Ask us again after we graduate high school. That comes first." Amy returned.

"And Jed's being modest. His fastball arm knocked the bad guy out." Raye praised.

"Really?" The director asked.

"Scout's honor." Raye remarked, Amy giggled a bit.

"So, Jed...you saved me and Saffron from that crazy machine?" Jedite was about to deny it, but the director kept talking.

"I knew there was something special about you. You have this energy, like you're something greater. And your acting is top-notch. Right now, I'm offering you the position. Take it, please."

"Wow!" Jedite replied. But then he laughed. He did enjoy acting. Not like he didn't do it everyday.

"Then it's a deal." Jedite smiled.

"Splendid! I'll call you next week, we'll work out the details. Go find Saffron and tell her the good news!"


	19. Rebirth

"Nephrite, is what you are telling me accurate?" Beryl was incredulous as Nephrite came before her to tell her of another failure.

"_Again?" _Beryl had lost all of her patience with Jedite's failures, now she was undergoing it again, with Nephrite, who was known for being capable and dependable, ranking only behind Malachite when it came to power.

"Yes, Majesty. Someone seemed to have flushed out my youma before the energy harvesting was complete. As such, it was incredibly weakened." Nephrite answered. The man used his own telekinesis to push a piece of human headwear, a baseball cap, she believed it was called, towards her. Nephrite had stated he implanted the youma in there.

Beryl could detect the energy left on there, and it was enough to ring Nephrite's story true: His youma was forced out prematurely, there was no mistake on its part.

"Hahaha!" Zoicite laughed behind Nephrite. "How careless. Do you not keep tabs on your prey?"

"I agree." Beryl replied. "With the Sailor Scouts around, it does not pay to be careless. Have you any details on who it was that flushed the youma out?"

"No. But I have seen Sailor Mars use charms on her..." Nephrite started to answer. Beryl cut him off.

"This is the first time this has happened, Sailor Mars have fought a number of youma." Beryl corrected. "To assume that is the answer...would be problematic."

"I regret to say I have no definite answer." Nephrite replied. Zoicite began to laugh.

"Malachite!" Beryl's voice resounded, summoning her most able general. "Nephrite, Zoicite, stay. The rest of you youma, depart." A flash of light brought in the general she had summoned while other youma hastily departed.

"The fact of the matter is simple. Someone detected your youma, Nephrite, and was able to flush it out. Such a technique would be almost impossible, even for someone like Sailor Moon. To remove a youma like that requires knowledge of youma. Which can only boil down to a leak."

"It seems there's a traitor in our midst." Zoicite replied irreverently. Beryl laughed for a moment to herself. Zoicite was a simple creature driven by his own ego and baseness, only greater than Jedite because her fallen general did not know his place as much as Zoicite did.

Zoicite would point the finger at Nephrite that he failed, to cover his own ego, but Beryl didn't think so. Nephrite had nothing to gain by sabotaging his own work. But Zoicite did, he could increase in rank by doing so.

"For the time being, we shall place energy gathering on hold." Queen Beryl ordered. "There are other tasks to accomplish, and we mustn't waste effort." Beryl explained. "But we'll have to step up the pace. Zoicite, I want you to search for information about the Imperium Silver Crystal. Take no action on obtaining it, simply report back with it. Share information only with me."

"Yes, my Queen." Zoicite replied. "I shall do so."

"Nephrite, I want you to concentrate on the Sailor Scouts. Set a trap for them, attempt to exterminate them. Use no youma, but as for anything else, do as you please."

"Yes, Majesty." Nephrite bowed.

"Both of you, dismissed!" Zoicite disappeared in a wave of flower petals, Nephrite in a black wave.

"Malachite. Are you aware of what this means. If our plans reach the ears of the Sailor Scouts, our work becomes that much more difficult. Further, without energy, we will never be able to awaken Queen Metallia. Who could have the ability to remove a youma like that. According to Nephrite, it was removed without harm to the host."

"That is indeed a conundrum, Majesty. The only ones who would be able to do that are myself, yourself, Zoicite, and Nephrite."

"I did no such thing." Beryl noted.

"Of course, your Majesty. I was merely stating you had the ability." Malachite backpedaled.

"So one of my generals is a traitor." Beryl replied.

"It may not be so, Majesty. Perhaps there is someone on Earth with this ability. Perhaps he or she is an ally of the Sailor Scouts." Beryl could not rule that possibility out, but for now, she had to assume there was someone on the inside feeding information to the Sailor Scouts. No other do-gooders had revealed themselves.

"Malachite, I need you to check our operation here. Keep a close leash on all youma, even my own, unless it is specifically decreed by me. None should give you any trouble, but if you notice that one attempts to leave, destroy it."

"Yes, m'queen." Malachite bowed, and left. Now that she was alone, Beryl weighed all of her choices for the traitor. Nephrite had the most to lose, but he was hot-headed and brash, and did not think clearly. He was the one would could most easily be swayed. Zoicite was ambitious and would do anything to get ahead, even sabotage the mission, were it believed someone else was doing it. Malachite himself was calculating and methodical, but his failure to eliminate both Jedite and the Sailor Scouts, without his usual calm and care, spoke in a different voice now. Perhaps he was careless on purpose.

"_Jedite..." _Beryl now considered an option Malachite refused to consider. Jedite's death was not ascertained. If it was assumed that he survived, than his own personal sense of vendetta might drive him to sabotage the operation.

But Nephrite mentioned that Sailor Mars had destroyed the weakened youma. Jedite was not mentioned at all, and Nephrite would have been able to detect if something was off. Further, the Sailor Scouts would not have forgotten that Jedite had attempted to kill them on a number of occasions. Such things were not forgotten easily. Nor were they forgiven.

If Jedite was alive, he was a hiding man, marked for death. He wouldn't risk sabotage, he thought too highly of himself to stick his neck on the line like that.

But at the same time, Beryl couldn't let the thought go.

"Erinyes." She called the name of one of her youma.

"Majesty." The creature, a human-looking woman with red hair, appeared in front of her.

"What I am to tell you is to be said to none other." Beryl started. "I suspect that Jedite may not have perished after all. I want you to be in disguise around the humans of Earth. Seek out beings that have powerful dark energy. Ascertain whether or not it is Jedite, and if you find him alive, return to me immediately. Do not leave until I order it." She delivered, remembering her earlier decree with Malachite.

Beryl wouldn't tell a single one of her subordinates what she was doing. There was the very real possibility that Jedite either didn't survive or was not a part of this. She could only trust herself now.

* * *

Back in his cathedral, Nephrite thought for a second about his new mission: Eliminating the Sailor Scouts. Nephrite agreed with the delay in plans: If someone was forcing out his youma before they were ready, even if the youma were to survive, the energy retrieved would be significantly lower. Queen Metallia would never awaken at that rate.

If Nephrite was correct, the only thing he could think of that was different was Jed Hanson, that actor with the strange energy vibe. He was in the room with the Sailor Scouts, and he managed to throw that suitcase harder than any human should have been able to throw. There was definitely something off about him.

But throwing a suitcase and exorcizing a youma were two entirely different things. Until he had more proof, he could not devote resources to hunting some actor.

And besides, the Sailor Scouts were a bother, and, apparently, something Jedite was unable to properly deal with. They would have to be dealt with sooner or later. Why not deal with it now, and later, Nephrite could ascertain whether or not this actor was worth pursuing.

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars both seemed to have an infatuation with Tuxedo Mask. The man didn't always show up to their battles, but both women seemed to look with longing at him. Sailor Moon, in particular, seemed taken. That seemed as good as any a way to find the girl in Sailor Moon's human form, and catch her before she could transform. One could not live without the other, and Sailor Moon would be no more.

* * *

"Good morning, sir." Jedite had to meet with the director early on.

"Jed!" The man stood up to welcome him. "Glad you're here."

"We were going to talk about paperwork?" Jedite asked. Truly, he had no idea what such a thing would involve. He still had the "foreigner" card up his sleeve, but it was still nerve-wracking, regardless.

"Of course, of course. Nothing major. It just says you'll work for two seasons, and then we'll decide if we want to continue. We also talk about what types of scenes you can and can't shoot, things you can and can't do, that sort of thing."

"Oh. Well, I can understand that. I can't say I'm really familiar with this type of television show."

"Nothing major, a few love scenes, no touching vulgar areas, though. Nothing unlike anything else that can normally be done. We did wanna talk about your hair, though."

"My hair?" Jedite was confused.

"We were wondering if you'd prefer to dye it?" The director asked. Jedite knew what that meant, to change it's color.

"Really?"

"And your name. Jed is a simple name. We were hoping we could think of a stage name. One that was...more catchy. Saffron, for instance, we thought of that to make her more memorable."

"Hmmm..." In truth, what objection did Jedite have to either of those. His own disguise powers could alter his hair as easily as his clothes. And his name? Jedite was used to responding to other names.

"I have no objections." Jedite replied. "Perhaps a new name for my new job."

"That's the spirit, Jed. Knew I liked you. All right. Can you dye your hair dark in a week?"

"I could have it ready almost immediately." Jedite noted. The director laughed.

"Gotta think of a name..." The director continued to talk. "Let's see...mythological names, those are fancy nowadays. Gotta pick one that hadn't been done. Greek too common. Norse too pornographic-sounding...hmmm, wait a minute, what was that guy from that opera...Sigurd. That's a good last name. Now we stick it...hmmm..." The man started talking to himself, ignoring everyone else around him.

"Director?" Jedite asked.

"Harvey! That's it. You can be Harvey Sigurd. Pretty catchy, huh?" Jedite wasn't too sure of what to think about it. It was, in fact, just a name. But a new name and a new disguise? That might have actually been beneficial. Nephrite was introduced to a blonde man named Jed Hanson, not this guy. It would keep him off his guard. Further, thanks to his disguise powers, he could revert his hair color anytime he wasn't working.

"I know what you're thinking..." The director started.

"I'll be ready next week?" Jedite asked.

"I knew I liked you, Jed. Or rather, Harvey. Gotta work on that."


	20. Tell Me You Love Me

"Good morning, sir." Jedite greeted Raye's old grandfather as he woke up the next morning. While Jedite knew he'd have to use his disguise powers to color his hair when he worked his new job, while he was here, he could remain his normal blonde self.

"Morning, Jed!" The old man cheered. "My, you're looking great today!"

"Thank you, sir." Jedite replied the same way he always did when the man flirted with him, and just as he did so, there was a loud cough from Raye's room.

"Oh, she still has that cold, does she?"

"A cold?" Jedite knew what colds were: A human disease, which could be particularly debilitating.

"Perhaps I'll go check on her." Jedite nodded to the old man, who chuckled a little bit, but went off to perform his other duties. Jedite quietly slipped into Raye's room.

"What are you doing here?" Raye asked as she was lying in her bed. Her voice sounded odd, her face was flushed. She was definitely ill, that much was certain.

"I came to see how you were. Going to school would be a bad idea, perhaps you'd best take a rest.'

"I'm fine!" Raye returned, sitting up in her bed. "I don't need to be babied."

"This isn't a matter of babying." Jedite returned. "There's only three Sailor Scouts and the entirety of Queen Beryl's armies. Having one down for the count can be a dangerous prospect." Jedite returned, and Raye remained silent.

"Right." She admitted, and then started to cough.

"I shall make tea."

"Don't you have that acting job?" Raye asked.

"It starts next week." Jedite answered. "But I'm actually concerned more about our current prospects. Forcing out that youma impacted Nephrite's mission, and I strongly doubt he'll just sit on it. What I'm concerned about is what they'll do next."

"Do next? I don't like that tone you're taking."

"Quite simply, Queen Beryl won't allow something to interfere in the mission like that, and she'll try to ascertain what caused it. I may have given myself away."

"Don't worry too much. There's nothing Queen Beryl's thrown at us that the Sailor Scouts can't handle. You're worried for nothing."

"Perhaps, but due caution should be exercised. Nephrite can get...emotional, when his plans do not work, emotion can be hard to overcome. And Queen Beryl will be pushing him immensely."

"You talk an awful lot about Queen Beryl. What is she like?"

"Hm?" Jedite asked, Raye's face turned redder, and she was pretty flushed as it was.

"I mean...for strategy, and such. I mean we saw you and we saw Nephrite but we never got to see the person directing the whole thing."

"Queen Beryl. Hm, no one's really asked me that. And if you spoke out of turn you were sure to get your comeuppance. But...she was determined. And steadfast. Powerful. Beautiful." Jedite's mind began to float back towards his former mistress. Queen Beryl was the one who selected Jedite, along with the other three generals, to head up her forces of youma, among many others who could have been considered. She had given him opportunity to prove himself. She was harsh, but she wanted him to grow and improve. Awakening Queen Metallia would have given Beryl and her forces ultimate power, but one earned that power, it was not given.

It was so hard to try and think of her as his enemy now, he had thought so highly of her before her betrayal. She had instilled both fear and respect in Jedite where he had known none before.

"You...you cared for her?" Raye asked, almost with trepidation.

"Cared?" Jedite reversed. "No...that doesn't make any sense. She was my leader, I looked to her for guidance. That was all. Beryl was harsh and demanding, you don't care for such a thing."

"But you said she was beautiful. That wouldn't matter if that's all she was."

"It was just what she is." Now Jedite was the one starting to flush. "I could very well say she was tall. But Queen Beryl won't be heading here herself, we should worry more about Nephrite."

"Jedite!" A familiar voice stopped both Jedite and Raye from answering. He looked up to discover Luna on the windowsill, with a piece of paper in her mouth.

"Huh?" Raye asked. "Luna, what are you doing here?"

"Raye? You're not in school." Luna asked. Raye responded with sneezing.

"Oh, I see." Luna replied. "Anyway, Jedite, I wanted you to look at this." Luna entered the room and dropped a letter on the table. Jedite picked it up.

"Serena received this in the morning." Luna replied as Jedite read. It was a love letter, not addressed to Serena specifically, but it was signed by Tuxedo Mask.

"This is fishier than the fish market at the docks." Jedite quickly deduced.

"That's what I thought." Luna replied.

"I can't detect any energy signatures from this." Jedite replied. "It would be hard too in any case, this was written with an ordinary pen.

"I should probably head down to Serena's school and ask more about this."

"But Jedite, what about what we discussed?" Raye quickly asked.

"It's okay. I'll disguise myself." Jedite's appearance quickly changed again. His blonde hair turned to bright red, his clothes changed from his temple regalia to a common blue shirt, black jacket, blue jeans, and sneakers.

"All right, no one will notice. I definitely need to find out more about this letter."

* * *

After Jedite had left, Raye sat up in bed for a moment, coughing every so often.

"Raye?" Luna asked her inquisitively.

"What is it?"

"What is it you and Jedite were discussing?"

"He's worried that the Negaverse is on to him. I don't want him to head out alone." Raye recanted the events at the audition.

"It's possible. But Jedite has recovered from his ordeal, and even I can sense his energy is stronger than before. He should be able to handle himself in a conflict."

"That's not it. I know he can handle a battle, but I'm concerned about something else."

"About what?" Luna asked. Raye wasn't even certain she should answer, maybe it was just a combination of being unfamiliar with Jedite, and the fever this cold was giving her. When Jedite spoke of Queen Beryl, a part of him seemed...Raye wasn't sure how to put it. He seemed so sad when he spoke of her, as if the fact that she herself was the one that betrayed him hurt him more than the actual betrayal itself. Did a part of him...love Queen Beryl? Raye considered the entire idea heretical. How could anyone love a vile snake like that?

But how long had Jedite known Queen Beryl, his whole life? How old was Jedite anyway? If he'd known Beryl that long, anything was possible. Raye herself had gotten over the fact that Jedite was a foe, and it hadn't been very long since the airport explosion.

But she owed it to herself to find out. Jedite was right: Her being sick was going to affect the ability of the Sailor Scouts to fight, no matter how much she pushed herself. Jedite was a capable fighter, and might need to fill in the cracks until she was at her best. But even if she was sick, Raye could ascertain threats to the good fight. And if Jedite had any feelings for Beryl, she had to figure this out quickly.

"It's nothing, Luna. Perhaps it's just my fever." Raye lied, hoping Jedite would get back soon.

* * *

Juuban Municipal Junior High was the name of the school that Serena went to, and Jedite waited outside for her to show. It was only after he got there that he realized that he had no idea when school was supposed to end. But Jedite waited, he was nothing if not patient. The best laid plans came from careful work, and that was it.

Eventually, the school's bell rang, and students started to filter out. It was hard to find Serena in the crowd, but her distinctive hairstyle made the job easier once he concentrated on that.

"Serena!" He called. She was walking with another girl, a brunette girl with a green ribbon in her hair.

"Huh?" Serena looked over at the person who called her. Thanks to his disguise, she didn't even recognize him.

"It's Jed." He came over to them.

"Jed...Oh, Jed!" Serena slowly began to remember, and Jedite was still amazed how slow she could be on the uptake.

"Oh, Serena, this is the Jed you told me about. Wow, he really is cute!" The other girl noted.

"I am sorry, you are..."

"I'm Molly." The girl giggled. "So, Serena, this is the hot guy you were hiding?"

"I almost didn't recognize him." Serena noted.

"Since I landed that contract, I have to get used to it." Jedite noted as the three started walking.

"Contract?" Molly asked.

"He's an actor, Moll." Serena noted. "And a master of disguise. He can be right in front of me and I won't recognize him."

"_Heh, what a useful way to explain my disguise powers." _Jedite thought.

"An actor, wow!" Molly cheered.

"I'll be playing Detective Derek Flannigan for the new season of _Precinct 52._. Though I may have spoiled the beginning for you already."

"Oh my God, I love that show, that's TV Ashita's best! Saffron's in that! I have every episode taped." Jedite laughed for a bit. From what he gathered from the director, the show was about Saffron's character, Elle Taylor, worked as an intern at the titular precinct, often finding herself thrust into murders and other dangerous circumstances.

"Anyway, Serena, the reason I came here today. Your...mother...told me about a love letter you received from Tuxedo Mask." Jedite noted.

"I got one too!" Molly answered before Serena could.

"Huh?" Jedite was now certain this was some plot. For energy? To lure Sailor Moon? He wasn't certain now.

"Oh yeah, lots of girls did. Oh, I wonder who sent them."

"Well, if you ask me, this sounds really...weird." Jedite noted. If he could dissuade this Molly from going, and get her to dissuade her friends, that was less bodies to get in the way when whoever's plan this was surfaced.

"Weird or not, I think it's dreamy," Molly remarked. She then excused herself as she headed towards some boutiques.

"I know see where you get your...erratic personality."

"Oh, Moll and I have been friends forever." Serena laughed. "So what's the big deal with these letters anyway?"

"How did Tuxedo Mask find you, Serena. Not Sailor Moon."

"It was the power of love." She remarked wistfully.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding."

"Don't mock the power of love, it bites you when you're not looking."

"Reason speaks far louder." Jedite countered. "And reason is telling me that this romantic date with Tuxedo Mask is a trap."

"Awww." Serena had no counter. "Alright, I'll make sure the Scouts and I are ready to pounce on Nephrite, or whoever it is. But I mean what I said about love, gotta watch what you mock!"

"How stupid." Jedite returned.

"Love isn't stupid?" Serena became upset.

"To imagine one's self as solely important to another? To let another have such power over your emotions, which prevent you from seeing straight? It spells weakness and foolish in any language."

"Didn't you have love back in the Negaverse?"

"There was respect." Jedite admitted. "Admiration. Pride. Ambition. Determination. Lust. Love is just lust and respect mixed together and given a simpler name."

"That's not what love is."

"If it is what I've seen you humans have, it's just asking for trouble. You can see with this letter Nephrite is playing on that to make you a fool. That should tell you what love is."


	21. That Tuxedoed Gentleman

Molly had separated from Serena and her friend Jed in order to do some quick shopping, but any ideas for clothes quickly went out the window the second she saw Maxfield Stanton, the socialite, window shopping.

The first time she had ever seen the man was at the tennis match her friend Katie was playing at, right before her obsessive freakout. From the moment she first saw him, he excited her. He was poised, confident, elegant, but at the same time very manly. And, of course, very, very handsome.

She had seen him around, from time to time. He had claimed once he was a real patron of the arts. Molly just found that even dreamier. Jed may have been very handsome, but Maxfield had charm from start to finish.

The man turned away from the window and saw her staring at him.

"Oh, hello." The man's response was polite, but aloof.

"Maxfield!" Molly called out.

"You...know my name?" The man was puzzled.

"I saw you at the tennis match, when you played against my friend Katie."

"Oh right, I do remember that." Maxfield engaged pleasantly.

"My name's Molly. Molly Baker. It's so nice to meet you up close." Molly replied. Maxfield smiled at her, and it made her heart melt.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you something. Did you...perhaps...send a few letters to my school signed Tuxedo Mask?" Molly had no idea how to ask, so she went for broke.

"Tuxedo...who?" Maxfield reacted with a confused stammer. Was he in the dark, or was he trying to be romantic and fake it?

"Well, me and the girls at my school all got these letters signed Tuxedo Mask and I wondered if...oh, it must not be. I'm sorry, I just..."

"No, it's okay." The man picked up her chin so she could look him in the eyes.

"A mystery date? How...romantic." Maxfield noted. "It sounds like you're going to have an enjoyable evening. Don't worry, I don't think it's weird. Maybe I'll see you next week at the tennis tournament. Maybe even a private lesson." Maxfield was masterfully suave, and Molly was certain he was just faking his surprise.

He had to be this Tuxedo Mask. He had to be! The note said to come at 9, but Molly knew now she had to arrive early. She needed to talk to him privately.

Molly's head swimmed in thoughts. What would she say to him when she got there? What should she wear? Oh, this had to be perfect.

Maxfield began to walk away, so she turned and watched him leave. She could imagine his voice in her head.

"_Thanks for running into me, I enjoyed it. We should see each other real soon." _His suave words excited her greatly, she almost didn't notice when she turned around and crashed headlong into someone else.

"Ooh!" A man's voice called out.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Molly picked herself up, and realized she was looking at Jed, Serena's hot friend.

"Oh, Jed! I thought you went off with Serena."

"Who was that man?" Jed immediately questioned her.

"That's Maxfield Stanton, the socialite. Oh, he's so handsome. And dreamy."

"Dreamy? Molly, do you even know this man?" Jed questioned.

"He's Tuxedo Mask, he has to be." Molly could almost hear Jed, so enraptured was she in her own thoughts. Jed would think she was foolish, and Molly was running out of preparation time. She was coming early, she had to go on her date.

* * *

Jedite went back to the temple immediately after he met Molly. He found a stall in the men's bathroom and teleported back to his own bedroom. He hadn't the time to walk. Once there, he quickly made his way to Raye's room, shedding his disguise when he was certain Raye's grandfather wasn't around.

Amy was already there, and Raye was still laid up in bed.

"Jedite!" Amy was surprised to see him. "Is something the matter?"

"I know what Nephrite's next move is?"

"What is it?" Raye, her voice distorted from her cold, asked.

"Amy, you go to the same school as Serena, right?" Jedite asked.

"I do. Is this about the love letters signed by Tuxedo Mask?" Amy quickly deduced.

"Y-yes." Jedite was surprised, but he supposed he shouldn't have been. Amy never seemed to be distracted by such nonsense.

"That friend of Serena's, Molly, I think, said that Nephrite's human identity sent those letters." Jedite relayed the story of when he spoke to Molly at the mall.

"That's all you have to go on?" Amy asked. "She could be wrong?"

"She was speaking to him before I came there, although I don't know what about. Something about the way she said it. I wish I could tail him, but I don't think that's a wise idea. What is his plan?"

"This is bad, we should call Serena immediately." Amy pulled out her communicator and called Serena. However, she wasn't answering.

"Maybe she's just in the shower, I'll try again later."

"In the meantime, we should think of a plan." Raye sat up in bed. "Knowing Serena, she'll probably starting making goo-goo eyes the second she sees him."

"Pot to the kettle." Amy returned. Jedite ignored their banter, and started to think.

"I think I have an idea." Jedite concentrated again, and his clothes began to change. He had seen Tuxedo Mask a number of times before, and knew what the man looked like. White bowtie, black pants, black cape, top hat and cane. He knew how to look, and he could replicate it as his own.

"Wow!" Raye was enchanted. "It's amazing."

"That is a fantastic idea, Jedite." Amy praised. "If you go as Tuxedo Mask, you might be able to dissuade her. And then we'll all group up to deal with Nephrite.

"All right. The letter says to go at 9."

"Earlier." Raye remarked. "Amy, help me up, will you?"

"Raye, you're ill, you should rest." Amy replied.

"No...way. Sailor business comes first."

"Don't be foolish." Jedite replied.

"You said it yourself. We can't afford to be down a member."

"We'll be fine. I can handle Nephrite. Concentrate on resting, we need you at your best. Amy, perhaps you should head out as well. My understanding of these diseases is that they are contagious."

"Yes, well..." Amy started.

"I can't get a human disease. I'll take care of Raye." Jedite returned.

"Well...I suppose that would be smart thinking. I'll head over to Serena's and call you on the communicator, Raye, to see what her plans are."

* * *

As the night rolled around, Nephrite was wondering who would show. This shopping centre closed at 7, and as soon as he was certain everyone had left, he made his way inside.

There would be many girls here shortly, and Nephrite knew that one of them had to be Sailor Moon. But that girl Molly had jumped to the top of his radar. Just today, she had announced that she knew that he sent the letters signed Tuxedo Mask.

Any random person could hazard a guess, but this girl had an energy, something very powerful, directed at him. A force beyond simple notice or even admiration for the way he played tennis. She had to be a Sailor Scout, only they would have such power.

Between Molly, and that Jed Hanson from his last energy-gathering sortie, Nephrite was wondering how on Earth all these strange people were on Earth. Did Jedite have to deal with this nonsense too?

It made no difference. Molly was one of the Sailor Scouts, he was sure, and soon he'd be rid of her. After that, Nephrite could deign to deal with the actor, if he still needed too.

There was a noise from outside, and Nephrite could feel that powerful energy again. Molly had arrived early! Using his own telekinesis, he opened the shutters and allowed her entrance.

"Welcome!" He called to Molly when she came close.

"Maxfield! I knew it was you!" Molly cried. Was she still going to do the doe-eyed innocent act?

"You're alone?"

"Of course. I wanted to tell you something...without anyone else around. Come here, it's a secret." She teased. And Nephrite had enough of such nonsense.

"All right, Sailor Girl. Do you think I'd be so stupid to fall for such a trick!" Nephrite angrily came toward Molly.

"Sailor Girl?" Molly asked confusedly.

"I'm no idiot! That powerful energy, you have to be her!"

"Energy?" Molly still reacted with confusion.

"Who are you! Why do you have this strong feeling toward me!" Nephrite demanded.

"It's...it's because I love you." Molly cried meekly.

"Love?" Nephrite questioned. He had heard that word before: Jedite and Queen Beryl discussed it, it was a powerful source of energy that Jedite used. Despite his failure to bring it back, the source was powerful enough for Queen Beryl to warrant it's use.

Nephrite drew his hand back, and drew on these feelings of love he could feel from Molly. He started to extract her energy. Even at the first hint, Nephrite could sense it was quite powerful. He already knew that emotions were powerful sources, but this one seemed to trump the pile.

Maybe this girl wasn't Sailor Moon. But at least this energy would be a valuable prize. Extraction was a slow process, but he could feel it getting steadily stronger. Molly began to tremble and lose her balance, and Nephrite supported her with his free hand. Slow and steady, such a jolt might cause a problem.

"Hold it!" A male voice called out, Nephrite turned to face it in time enough to watch a rose flying at his face.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Nephrite called, taking hold of the now unconscious Molly. Standing in the doorway was a caped figure, his eyes covered with a mask. In top hat and dinner jacket, he definitely seemed to be the rose-wielding meddler.

"_Wait!" _Nephrite paused. There was something very different about this guy.

"It seems old habits die hard. Passing love notes went out of style in grade school." Tuxedo Mask chided.

"Who are you?" Nephrite asked. Now that Nephrite was closer, and could see this man, there was no way he was the same man. Tuxedo Mask had dark hair, and this man was a blonde. There was a different sort of impact as the man's rose hit Nephrite's face. And, most importantly, this man's energy flow was completely different. There was a dark power within him. In fact, it reminded him of...

"Jed Hanson." Nephrite declared. "So you aren't just an actor, you actually want to meddle in my plans."

The man was quiet for a moment, but then his illusion faded. Evening wear turned into normal street clothing. And now Nephrite could tell for certain he was correct. What was this idiot planning

"You actually think you can deal with me, fool?" Nephrite spat out. He dropped Molly to the ground, and drew himself into a battle stance, dropping his guise as Tuxedo Mask.

"Starlight Attack!" Nephrite attempted to attack with a ball of energy. Jed dodged to the left, and quickly retaliated by throwing a nearby trash can at Nephrite.

"What a clumsy attack!" Nephrite dodged with ease.

"You really want to go all out, Nephrite?" Jed growled. Nephrite's eyes widened. How did this man know his name? From the Sailor Scouts? If he was an ally of the Scouts, why did he only appear first at that acting gig. Further, the Sailor Scouts assumed the identities of normal girls, without their powers, when they weren't in uniform. This man had no such guise.

He was no Sailor Scout, and Nephrite was certain this wasn't the extent of this man's power.

"Hold it!" A voice known to Nephrite as being Sailor Moon's sounded from the entryway.

"Grr..." Nephrite growled. Between the unknown Jed and Sailor Moon, things were getting dangerous. He had to fall back and reconnoiter.


	22. Red Glare

Any thought of a romantic evening with Tuxedo Mask immediately faded away when Serena heard the sounds of combat from the shopping center. She had transformed once she ascertained the coast was clear, and then moved in to find out what had happened.

Nephrite was standing above an unconscious Molly, and locked in combat with Jedite. He got here first? What was he doing? Where was Tuxedo Mask?

For now, she had to deal with Nephrite.

"How low can you possibly go, Nephrite? Attacking a defenseless girl. I won't stand for it. I am Sailor Moon, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil. And that's...you."

Nephrite only laughed.

"Like I would ever lose to a miscreant like you!" Nephrite replied.

"I don't know what that word means, but I won't have it. You're going down, dirtbag!" Sailor Moon scowled.

"Let's see who's the strong one, and who's all talk!" Nephrite attacked with a ball of energy, launched towards her. Sailor Moon dodged it.

"You can't dodge forever!" Nephrite launched another attack, Sailor Moon leaped back.

"Get out of here!" Jedite called to her. "Take that girl and run, lady." Jedite spoke to her in a purely unfamiliar tone, which made no sense. Sailor Moon would have called back, but Nephrite launched another attack at her and she had to dodge.

"I said leave!" Jedite grabbed a potted plant and threw it straight at Nephrite. He threw it normally, rather than with his telekinesis.

"No way, I'm hear to rescue Molly, and there's no way I'm going to leave until the bad guy is dusted."

"I said!" Jedite turned to face her, but he did not have time to speak before Nephrite attacked him with a ball of energy, sending Jedite flying backwards.

"Lost your focus, Jed?" Nephrite chided, Jedite immediately got back to his feet, breaking off a piece of a steel handrail for a weapon.

"_Jed?" _Serena thought. That was Jedite's human name.

"Maybe you should have stuck to the stage!" Nephrite attacked again, and Jedite charged forward, breaking into a slide, aiming his weapon at Nephrite's legs.

"_Stage?" _Serena thought. The pieces were starting to come together. Did Nephrite not know of Jedite's true identity? He thought he was just an ordinary human?

Nephrite jumped upward to avoid Jedite's low attack, and Sailor Moon knew it was the time to strike.

"Moon Tiara Action!" She threw her tiara at the leaping Nephrite.

"Hmph!" Nephrite released another ball of energy from his hand. It collided with her tiara, and both veered off on different angles.

"Uh-oh!" Sailor Moon noted.

"Ahahaha! Look at that." Nephrite was amused as he landed. "A pair of fools, and only one is the performer!"

"I am your opponent!" Jedite shouted, and Sailor Moon watched him, from behind Nephrite, throw his piece of handrail. The broken end pointed towards Nephrite, it would make an excellent weapon.

Nephrite turned around and held out his hands. The rigid bar stopped in mid-flight.

"Nice try. You might have been able to get me. But I am no ordinary foe!" Nephrite let the bar fall to the ground. Jedite took a few steps back.

"I appreciate your help, but get out of here. It's too dangerous!" Sailor Moon called to Jedite, fully intending to keep the charade of him being an ordinary person.

"I won't back down!" Jedite shot back.

"You should!" Nephrite dashed forward towards Jedite. Jedite drew back into a defensive stance, but Nephrite charged forward, much faster than a normal person, and attacked Jedite with a knee to the stomach.

"Oof!" Jedite gasped, and the force flung him backward into the wall.

"One fool down, another to go." Nephrite turned to Sailor Moon. She tried to ascertain Jedite from where she was. He was conscious, that was a good sign. But Nephrite was advancing towards her.

As Nephrite stepped towards her, he was stopped by a red rose.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, and looked around, finding him standing at the elevator.

"In the flesh!" Tuxedo Mask exclaimed. "Using my name to harm innocent girls! How despicable!"

"You meddlers are starting to irritate me!" Nephrite remarked. Jedite had gotten to his feet and now, Nephrite was now outnumbered.

"Grrr..." Nephrite disappeared in a wave of dark energy.

"Get back here!" Jedite shouted. He groaned, clutching his stomach. Sailor Moon ran to him, while Tuxedo Mask departed.

"I'm fine!" He said before she could speak. "I got careless. You should check on your friend." Sailor Moon nodded, de-transformed, and went to take a look at Molly.

"She's had her energy drained." Jedite remarked. "She'll recover."

"What about you? That was one nasty blow."

"I've survived an exploding airport. Nephrite can be vicious, but this is nothing. I'll be fine. We should head back. Hopefully this will cure Molly of her fascination with Maxfield Stanton." Jedite remarked, before walking out of the shopping center, with a slight limp.

"_I hope he's alright." _Serena thought as she tried to awaken Molly.

* * *

Jedite awoke very early the next morning. He could still hear Raye coughing in her own room. So her cold had not gone away yet. Jedite teleported away into a quiet corner of the shrine. There would be no one around to see him. He perched himself on a tree branch and started to think.

He had engaged Nephrite in combat yesterday. While Jedite knew he was holding back to keep his identity as "Jed Hanson" rather than Jedite, he had failed to defeat Nephrite. Or even give a good showing for himself, that battle was pathetic.

Nephrite himself had only left because he was outnumbered. Individually, Jedite knew, they would have been beaten. Jedite himself could disarm Sailor Moon with nary a thought: Her tiara was infinitely weaker than his telekinesis. Further, Jedite had battled Tuxedo Mask to near death that time back at the airport.

Was Sailor Moon's true ability the power to inspire the other two Scouts to fight for her? All three Sailor Scouts together were formidable, but a single one was weak. It was an interesting thing to consider, at least.

But Jedite knew, no matter how much one could be inspired, one could always get stronger. Today was his first day of work as an actor. When he was finished, he would train his power. He was no weakling, no failure. He needed to get stronger to beat Nephrite, Malachite, even Beryl, if the circumstances warranted. The only alternative was to lay down and die.

* * *

In a crowd of busy people, a lone woman in a red dress, her eyes lowered. She remained still as the world busied itself around her.

She cared not for wave after wave of human around her. While they were brimming with varying degrees of energy, all of it suitable for Queen Beryl's great mission, the woman had but one large entrusted to her care. The failure, the apostate, Jedite, may have survived when he should have died, and she, Erinyes, one of the greatest of youma, one of Queen Beryl's personal retinue, would be entrusted to make sure he was permanently slain.

Before his fall, Jedite was actually quite revered among the youma. Some said he was merely a sycophant, but for the most part, most of the youma followed and respected the Shitennou, the generals of Beryl's great armies. Of course, after his failures, most youma, save his own and Titus, one of the most powerful aside from Erinyes herself, lost respect for him. His death was practically preordained before he supposedly died.

Jedite was a master of disguise, perhaps the greatest in the whole Negaverse. He could appear to be anything he wanted. But the one constant was his energy, which was not only powerful, but would have a dark signature.

Not all dark energy would be from Jedite, but there were few enough people that Erinyes could handle this mission herself. When this weakling was found, Erinyes would waste no time in dispatching him. And for those that weren't, perhaps that dark energy would be more beneficial to Queen Metallia than normal energy. These humans were all but cattle, and Jedite, if he was still alive, was among them. Let him die like them.


	23. Work On Your Delivery

Jedite had no idea what was entailed in starting his acting job, although he knew something about it. Rehearsing what he had to say to delude saps into giving up their energy was very similar. It was the visual presentation that made him feel weird. The people in charge insisted on hair and makeup, having that done. Jedite had never done such a thing before, but it was painless and easy, he just sat while they worked and followed instruction. Almost like being back under Queen Beryl listening to orders, only these people weren't going to condemn him to Forever Sleep.

Jedite had read the script, and memorized it. That was the easy part: He had to amend plans on a moment's notice, and that meant reacting to them.

"_And, worse comes to worse, I can fake it. They liked that last time." _Jedite thought. He got dressed into his costume and made his way to the set.

"Jed, so glad you're here. Oh wait, it's Harvey now. It's a good stage name." Saffron was already in character.

"Thank the director, he came up with it." Jedite replied. It would be a good way to dissuade Nephrite from coming around, if he thought "Harvey Sigurd" was the star and not "Jed Hanson."

"And wow, you did a really good job with your hair." Saffron noted.

"Lots of practice." Jedite replied, and Saffron giggled.

"Derek, Elle. Let's get shooting!" The director called behind the camera crew, referring to the names of their actors.

"Action!" He shouted a moment later.

"Detective Flannigan, welcome. You're from Tokushima, aren't you? What are your thoughts of my fair city?" Saffron got into character.

"If only it was a pleasure cruise." Derek Flannigan was supposed to be sour and snarky, and Jedite knew he could handle that. "I'm here to catch a serial murderer. Ask me again when he's behind bars."

"I'm Elle Taylor..."

"Unsworn intern, work here all the time. Heard you helped on a few cases. I've read up on your dossier. Good work you've done, excuse me if I'd rather catch the crook before we go out to eat." Jedite shrugged. "Alright, where's the Chief? Perhaps things are different in the city, but in Shikoku, we solve homicides."

"He's...he'll be in shortly. But I'll get you caught up on the details."

"And cut! Jed, Harvey, our new guy. It's good for a first take, but we need better. Can you do better?" The director asked. Jedite took a deep breath. He had to put the battle out of his mind: Nephrite would not attack him here, and the Scouts were fine. He had to focus, he could do this. He was going to silence any thought of the word failure from anyone.

"_Alright, take two!_" Jedite prepared himself mentally. "My understanding is that the killer stuck to Tokyo and Yokohama, yet the latest victim was on Shikoku. Odd deviation for a serial murderer. What makes you think this is authentic, and not a copycat?" Jedite launched into his script, and he could hear the director's satisfied sigh.

* * *

There was a powerful dark energy signature here, Erinyes thought as she looked at the studio. Someone in there was one of her targets, and this one was a powerful one.

This was a television studio, and there had to be dozens of people there. Erinyes concentrated to see if she could get a more accurate pinpoint.

"Hey!" Someone saw her in the corner, and came over to find her. She could tell he was not her target: He was completely useless to her. As soon as he got close, she glared at him. Her eyes glew yellow, and the man screamed. When the light subsided, the man's visage was still frozen in fear. But he couldn't scream, he couldn't do anything. Erinyes's power could cause any human to look at her to turn to solid stone. It wasn't possible to harvest energy from a statue, but Beryl had an eye for talent, and there were other tasks. Like finding Jedite.

She laughed. The source of energy was inside the studio. Erinyes could barrel her way through, but that would be conspicuous, and Jedite was cautious. Losing her prey would make her a bigger failure than he was. If he sensed trouble, he'd flee.

Erinyes knocked the statue over, and pushed it into the corner of the lot. If she broke it, the man would be dead, the magic fade, and then people would notice a dead body. Best if it seems he disappeared.

* * *

Raye forced herself to go to school today, and somehow managed to get through the whole day. She was still coughing, but thankfully her fever was down and she could concentrate more.

Before heading back to the temple, she had to drop by the convenience store for some tissues and some healthy foods to keep her immune system up.

She brought her purchase to the cashier and fished in her purse for her money.

"Hey, Raye!" The girl behind the register actually went to her school. Raye had seen her before, but she wouldn't call the girl a friend: Raye didn't have too many of those in school, and none of them ever really hung out or anything.

"Hello, Samantha. What's up?"

"Not much, can't wait for the new season of _Precinct 52 _to air." Raye had almost forgotten, today was Jedite's first day of work filming.

"Actually, I was thinking of catching that. You know, I know one of the actors on that show."

"Really?" The girl looked at Raye as if she didn't believe her.

"Yeah, he just joined the cast. He plays the new guy, Detective Flannigan." Raye noted. While she didn't watch TV that often, she would watch to support Jedite, who was growing on her.

"Sure thing." The cashier still didn't seem to believe her, Raye ignored her. She was used to such treatment.

"She's right, you know. I know the guy." A male voice called behind her. Raye turned around to see Darien behind her.

"Darien!" Raye called.

"Hey, Raye." Darien smiled. "How's it going?"

"Been getting over a cold." Raye remarked. "So Jed told you about the acting gig."

"Yeah, I was impressed. They say he blew them all away."

"_To say nothing of the monster attack." _Raye kept to herself.

"I was actually going to stop by the studio. Today was his first day of shooting. I wanna see how it went."

"You're not gonna wait for Serena or Amy?"

"And deal with Serena's vapid giggling the whole time and trying to be in the show? It's a friendly dropping by. Might not be able to get in anyway, they're pretty tight on security."

"You're still dropping by, though?"

"Make the attempt, at least." Raye shrugged.

"Cool. I'll go with you, maybe a quick snack afterwards?"

"That sounds like a great date idea!" Raye cheered.

"Date?" Darien questioned.

"That doesn't sound like a date to you?"

"No, but if you want to think of it like one..."

"Forget it, come on, let's go." Raye huffed, and headed out of the store. It was so weird to think of Darien as her boyfriend. They hadn't gone on a date since that whole fiasco in the park, and that was cut short due to Sailor business. Not only that, Darien was quite the aloof partner. While that distance was initially attractive, Darien was little more than polite. In fact, Jedite was the more stable man in her life, considering how she saw him everyday, and offered to take care of her while she was sick. It was actually pretty sweet of him, not that it was necessary.

"_And Jedite is really hunky. As good looking as...No! Girl, what is wrong with you! You wasted no time bashing Serena for what she did to him with her teacher, don't think like that!"_ Raye criticized herself.

"You all right, Raye?" Darien asked.

"Fine. Of course. Sorry, let's get going."


	24. The Presence

Raye and Darien chatted idly as they approached the studio.

"Wow, I knew Meatball Head was klutzy, but who'd ever think that would happen." Darien laughed.

"Yeah, sometimes she really outdoes herself. So tell me more about K.O. University. Does it have a good business school, I should keep that in mind." Raye asked.

"Oh yeah, K.O. is fantastic. Of course, I hope to go over to America to study one of these days."

"What about Andrew?"

"Andrew wants to be a surgeon, I'm more of a family practice clinician." Darien clarified. "Hey, here's the studio. Wonder if Jed's finished yet." Darien and Raye strolled up to the front.

"Hello?" The gate guard stopped the two from entering. "Do you have an appointment."

"No...umm...we're here to see Jed Hanson. We're friends of his. My name is Raye Hino, and this is Darien Shields."

"Sure. Friends." The security guard believed Raye even less than the cashier did. She scowled.

"He knows us. Precinct 52 hasn't even aired yet. The only way we'd know him, and his real name, is if he was our friend." Raye pointed out.

"Listen, girlie. Everyone pretends to know a star. They get a name and they're instantly buddies. They know their birthday, their shoe size, every little sick detail. My job is to keep kooks like you out. If Jed was expecting you, he would have called ahead, and he didn't. So beat it." The guard returned to his duties.

Raye grumbled as she walked away.

"You'll see him tonight." Darien resassured. "He still lives at the temple, doesn't he?"

"That's not the point. First day of work has to be hard, particularly since...well...he's new in town." Raye covered.

"It would have been good to see a friend when you walked home. That's all." Raye remarked.

"That's a really sweet thing of you to do, Raye. But I'm sure dropping him on him when he gets home and asking him questions will get the point across. Why don't we go get some takoyaki."

"No thanks." Raye sighed. "I'm still mad that guy thought I was some groupie. Don't have much of an appetite. It's like the opposite of sea air for me."

"All right. Why don't we go out another time." Darien shrugged. "I'll drop by."

"Thanks!" Raye called as Darien walked off down the street. She wasn't too far from the arcade. Maybe Serena and Amy were there. She was kinda bummed, and she didn't like to be by herself when she was.

* * *

Shooting took a lot longer than Jedite thought it would.

"All right, people. Good work today." The director clapped. "Jed, good showing. You're convincing. Got a lot of raw talent. We'll refine you good."

"Looking...forward to it." Jedite smiled. "It was definitely an interesting day. The same time tomorrow?"

"That's right. You'll be on air in no time. Shikoku Storm! I can see it now."

"Which is funny, I'm not actually from Shikoku."

"It's for your character. I'm gonna have the writing team work on a back story. Maybe you can be...well, we'll discuss that another time." The director started talking to himself.

"All I need are my lines and motivation. I'll leave the creative geniuses to you."

"And that's what I mean by refine. Do your job, learn the rest. You're gonna do fine, Jed."

"I know!" Saffron cheered. "Oh, this was a great day, I can feel it. Where are you headed now?"

"Huh? Well, I suppose I'll head back home." Jedite shrugged. "I'm not very good with crowds."

"That'll change when the show airs." Saffron giggled. "Oh, the crowds are lovely."

"I'll take your word for that. But I should head back home." Jedite waved goodbye and began to find a quiet place to teleport back home.

He strolled around the grounds trying to find a quiet spot. As he did so, however, he began to sense something. There was a youma nearby, he could know that energy signature anywhere.

But he couldn't sense the presence of Nephrite, or Zoicite, or even Malachite. Did Nephrite strike without him knowing, implant a youma?

"_Impossible,."_Jedite thought. He just sensed it now. Even Nephrite could not implant a youma from a distance. This one had to be working alone.

"_Youma don't do that. Ever. Our youma are never to...so, it's one of Queen Beryl's personal youma, is it?" _Jedite thought. It was the only thing he could think of.

But why was it here? And why now? Beryl never risked something of her own unless she believed it to be important enough, or there was a reason she could not go to one of her other generals. What was she plotting?

Jedite was uncertain on what to do next. Should he look for this youma. The evil energy of a youma was not large, it had to be within the studio. But Jedite knew nothing about it's purpose. Was it after him? It would be unlike Beryl to trust a task like that to a mere youma: Jedite could annihilate such things quite easily, and Beryl would be more than aware of this.

Was there something else here? Beryl was interested in a great many things, like the Silver Imperium Crystal. But Jedite could sense no great power here.

So it could only be that Queen Beryl was searching for something. For what, Jedite couldn't say. It warranted his interest, but the best thing to do right now would be to pretend nothing was going on. Even surreptitiously, Jedite could not use his power.

"Good evening, sir." Jedite passed by the studio entrance, where the gate guard greeted him. He always showed such deference to the actors, and was very protective of the studio.

"Good evening." Jedite answered.

"Sir, have you seen Pete Deans around?" The guard asked.

"I'm new here. I don't know what that is."

"Sorry, I forgot." The man apologized.

"Is something the matter?' Jedite asked.

"He just disappeared yesterday." The man noted. "Left right in the middle of setting up Studio Three. Took a smoke break and then he vanished. What's with interns these days." The guard bemoaned.

"Well, sorry to bother you. Be safe heading home." The man noted, and Jedite walked out. Now a disappearing intern? Without a trace. While Jedite didn't know this boy and he did just run off, Jedite could not discount it with an amok youma around.

He felt that the presence did not pursue him from the studio. He needed to make it back to the temple quickly.

They had to get back to the studio that night.


	25. The Midnight Oil

It was quiet, and dark, when Jedite and the three Scouts arrived at the studio.

"I definitely feel a presence." Sailor Mars called. Having sensed danger, the Scouts decided to leave the temple prepared for battle rather than being civilians.

"And you don't think it's Nephrite, or any of the other generals?" Mercury posited.

"No." Jedite remarked. "I didn't sense them at all."

"I don't either."

"We should split up to cover more ground." Luna, perched on Serena's shoulder, offered.

"Agreed. Since Jedite and Raye can both sense evil presences, you two should split up." Amy noted.

"Do we have to?" Raye asked. Everyone looked at her.

"Huh?" Jedite asked.

"Err..." Raye's face became beet red. "It...maybe we should stick together. It never hurts to be more cautious."

"No, we should move quickly. Try to find her. Who knows what she'll pull." Mercury remarked.

"Ummm...Perhaps. But Mercury, your visor can scan things, right?" Jedite remarked. "Maybe you and Luna should go with Serena, and Raye and I can split off."

"N...no way." Raye quickly objected. "Amy's got a point, sensing the presence is important. She might sneak up on us. I'll go with Serena, Amy, you go with Jedite."

"Sounds good." Amy agreed. "All right, Jedite, I'll follow your lead."

"Good plan." Raye remarked.

"Very well." Jedite sighed. He had actually wanted to search for the monster with Raye. Between her and Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars was infinitely more reliable. Mercury was reliable, but was more the tactician of the group than a fighter, and, while Jedite never discounted the needed for tactics, there were many a time when he had to rely on only his own abilities.

The two were looking at the actual studios, where much of the filming was done, although not Jedite's particular show.

"Jedite, is there any clues you could glean from this particular youma?" Mercury asked.

"I've never seen her." Jedite remarked. "Most youma are female, hence my choice of pronoun. But I do believe this to be one of Queen Beryl's own youma."

"She has her own?"

"What leader wouldn't have a personal retinue?" Jedite returned. "Typically, Beryl selects those who have extremely powerful abilities, leadership potential, that sort of thing. Many youma simply act upon our will, and can only follow orders. Beryl's, however, make worthy adjutants."

"You know them, then?"

"Any youma would boast of being selected one of Beryl's. But yes, I have worked with one. I'm certain you remember that romance cruise to Yokohama? Titus was one of Beryl's."

"My goodneess, she certainly was powerful." Mercury acknowledged. "We will have to be on our guard." The studio was completely silent. It seemed empty, but as Jedite opened the door further to let in the moonlight, he could see a figure standing over near the window.

"Excuse me!" He called, quickly disguising his hair, so that the dark-haired Harvey Sigurd could be the one seen. The figure did not respond.

"Hello!" Mercury called over. Jedite came in closer, and saw that it wasn't actually a person. It was just a statue dressed in clothes.

"_I must be a little jumpy." _Jedite thought. Mercury touched her earring, and her blue visor appeared across her face.

"Are you looking for something?" Jedite asked. Mercury concentrated on typing.

"Jedite, that statue...it's a person!" Mercury called out.

"Huh?" He questioned. It was remarkably lifelike, but Jedite could sense nothing from it. He couldn't sense any energy.

"I'm positive, I'm reading organic structures within that." Mercury remarked.

"Who's in here?" A female voice called. Jedite turned to face the open door, where a woman was silhouetted against the darkness.

"Who are you?" Jedite asked. "This place is closed."

"I see you like my work." The woman stepped forward. As she got closer, Jedite could sense the familiar energy signature enimating from her. This was a youma, and the same presence he felt earlier.

"Would you care to see an artist's secrets?" The woman stepped forward, and turned on the studio's lights. Once they were bright enough, Jedite beheld an ordinary looking woman in a red textured dress.

"Become stone!" The woman shouted, and her eyes began to glow a bright gold, and filled the room with light. It only lasted for a second, and nothing seemed to happen.

"Huh?" Jedite wondered, but then he looked over towards where Mercury was standing. Where she was standing was now a stone statue, looking exactly like Sailor Mercury, dressed in her fuku.

"What on Earth did you do?" Jedite accused.

"The same thing that should have happened to you." The woman seemed perplexed. "Why didn't you turn to stone?"

"Turn her back this instant!" Jedite ordered the youma.

"Restore a Sailor Scout? One of Queen Beryl's immortal foes? I'd rather smash her to pieces!" The woman remarked.

"I won't allow it!" Jedite telekinetically grabbed a steamer trunk full of costumes and directed it at the youma. With the force he could muster, it slammed against the youma and knocked her into the wall.

"So...You're no human, lest you'd be a statue now, and you have powerful telekinesis." The youma directed. "I thought this was but a snipe hunt, but it seems Queen Beryl's wisdom trumps everyone. I never thought I'd see you again, Jedite." The youma directed.

"E-excuse me? My name is Harvey Sigurd." Jedite tried to bluff.

"Don't think you can fool me. The great Erinyes was sent to find the failure, who survived when he should have died. And here he is, now working with our enemies. Not only a failure, but a traitor as well."

"I was betrayed by Beryl first." Jedite corrected.

"Queen Beryl acts in accordance with her mission. You are dead weight. Then and now." Erinyes delivered coldly as her human form began to fade into her real appearance, a snake-haired woman.

"I will show you dead weight!" Jedite dropped his disguise, and his normal civilian clothes faded into his general's coat. His abilities no longer hindered by maintaining his facade, Jedite attacked the youma with his full force, unleashing a wave of energy upon her.

"You would fight your better? "Erinyes was indignant as she evaded the attack.

"What's happening!" Sailor Moon's voice called from outside.

"Aha! The rest of the Sailor Scouts come." Erinyes turned her back to Jedite in order to use her power on the two.

"No!" Jedite rushed the creature and tackled her, pinning her to the ground. He pushed her face into the concrete with his boot so she couldn't get her eyes up.

"What's happening!" Sailor Mars called in as she appeared in the doorway.

"Be careful!" Jedite shouted. "Don't look this youma in the face!" He shouted as the youma struggled under him. He could feel the snakes that made up her hair writhing, nipping at his boot. While they couldn't puncture it now, he couldn't keep that up forever.

"The light!" Jedite shouted.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars quickly blasted the lone hanging bulb, which plunged the room into darkness. Satisfied, Jedite jumped backward, and the youma, Erinyes she had called herself, stood up. The two Sailor Scouts adjusted their gaze, but soon Jedite realized they were at an impasse. They would need to look where they were going to attack. That left them at risk.

"_We need Mercury_." Jedite reasoned. But how could they get her unfrozen from the statue.

"I'll deal with her." He told the Scouts. "Mercury was petrified by her, but I'm immune since I'm not human. I'll take care of that, you save her. If you get her unfrozen, I'm sure she'll know what to do."

"Got it. I've dealt with a petrification curse. I can handle it. Give me some cover." Mars instructed. Jedite nodded.

"What do I do?"

"Just be ready!" Both Jedite and Sailor Mars shouted before they split to attack.


	26. Overtime

Jedite prepared himself for battle with the creature. While he was more powerful than any sort of youma, a one-on-one battle was not the most advisable tactic when one had allies to call upon.

He hit hard and strong, using his telekinesis to push down on the steamer trunk of costumes, and pin the monster to the floor. Mars took advantage of the struggle and quickly made her way to Sailor Mercury, with one of her ofuda in hand.

Jedite couldn't afford distraction now, and pressed on the case with all his might.

"How far you have fallen, Jedite. Beryl was right to have you killed."

"Beryl can answer for her own mistakes." Jedite returned, increasing the amount of force placed on the trunk. His legs were starting to tremble from the exertion. Jedite hoped Sailor Mars would be finished soon.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Jedite's question was answered a moment later as fog blanketed the area. With the monster no longer able to see, Jedite released his hold on the creature.

"Do it, meatball head!" Mars shouted after a period of silence.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon let fly her attack.

"That measly..." Jedite could hear the youma taunt Sailor Moon's attack before hearing it connect with the youma. As the fog faded, Jedite could watch Erinyes fall to her knees before disintegrating into dust.

"Moon dusted!" Sailor Moon cheered. "Great job, everyone!"

"Good. She's gone." Jedite remarked. "Beryl should be realizing it shortly, but she won't get the message I'm still alive. Still, it would be best if we left."

"Yeah. It's getting late anyway. We have school tomorrow, and you've got work." Amy remarked to Jedite. Serena and Amy scampered off quickly to make it home.

"Shall we go?" Raye offered.

* * *

After school the next day, Raye had a guest when she arrived at the temple. Darien had come over. He was seated, reading silently as he checked all of the incoming guests.

"Raye!" He called over to her.

"Oh, hey Darien!" Raye smiled. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long. I just thought I'd drop by and say hey. See if we wanted to go for that snack we couldn't do yesterday."

"That sounds nice." Raye smiled. She quickly changed out of her school uniform into something more suitable, and they took a quick stroll to the park.

"So, how was Jed's first day of work?" Darien asked as he handed Raye an ice cream cone. Vanilla and chocolate. Not her favorite flavor, but she certainly wouldn't send it back.

"We actually didn't talk about it. I guess he's still taking it in. He's never acted before."

"I hope it goes well. He seems pretty down a lot, it'll cheer him up."

"Down on himself? Well, I guess you could say that." Raye shrugged.

"What would you call it?" Darien asked.

"I don't want to gossip about him, it's not right." Raye returned.

"Says the girl who lambastes Meatball Head until she's black and blue."

"Well, Serena's an easy target, but Jed's, well, I guess down is the right word. At least he's out making friends and meeting other people."

"That's good." Darien smiled. "And if he's as good an actor as you say he is, the network will love him. He'll need cannons to fend off the admirers."

"Maybe being his bouncer will net me some extra spending money."

"Raye Hino the entrepreneur." Darien joked, and the two strolled while eating their ice cream.

"I had fun today. Tell Jed I said I hope the gig's going well." Darien waved goodbye before walking away. Raye sighed for a moment. It was nice to see Darien again, but their ice cream and chat was...so devoid of romance. Darien may very well had been Amy, or a new gal-pal. It would have been the same.

Not even a kiss goodbye. Perhaps Darien just didn't feel the same way. Even Jedite was more deferential. Of course, that may have been due to him working under Queen Beryl, who, by all accounts, was a tyrant who demanded respect from everyone.

"_So much for love." _Raye thought. Jedite didn't believe the concept even existed. Perhaps in the Negaverse, it didn't, if it was rife with betrayals and games of one-upmanship. Was it his environment that caused that, or, being alien, it was simply not a concept from his nature.

It had to be the former. Jedite was good now, and so much about him had changed. Who was to say he could not feel that force.

And Raye surprised herself by realizing she cared at all.

* * *

When the sun had gone down, a lone figure was stalking the studio grounds. Nephrite had been pondering what had happened here for an entire day, and he still had no answer on the matter. Nearly 24 hours ago, one of Beryl's personal youma was slain here, slain by Sailor Moon.

Beryl would hardly be forthcoming; she had no reason to justify anything to Nephrite, being his superior. He had to make his own deductions.

This youma crossed paths with Sailor Moon, the task Beryl had assigned to Nephrite himself. Did she have so little confidence in him? Did she think him a failure like Jedite? What was it's other purpose?

Perhaps to discern this traitor Beryl had suspected? If so, why would it be here? This was a studio. While that actor working with the Scouts, Jed Hanson, had applied for employment here, it seemed the lead went to some guy named Harvey Sigurd. Further, Jed was never a youma or a member of their organization. Gadfly he was, but traitor he was not.

While there was still a strange presence over the studio, Nephrite didn't care about it. It was not the Sailor Scouts; it had nothing to do with his mission.

"And what brings the mighty Nephrite here?" A familiar voice called behind him.

"What do you want, Zoicite?" Nephrite was in no mood for games.

"Why are you here? Are you expecting to find the Sailor Scouts in an empty studio?" Zoicite asked.

"Sailor Moon fought and killed one of Queen Beryl's youma in this spot." Nephrite delivered.

"Indeed?" Zoicite was surprised. "Searching for clues a day after the fact?"

"Sailor Moon does not broadcast her movements. She appears after a youma emerges, and we have not been ordered to use your youma again. Now, why are you here?"

"While you've been out failing, I managed to get some great information. I'm here because Queen Beryl is summoning us to deal with this mission. I assume she'll want to give me your position. It's only fair to be present when being demoted."

"You arrogant fool!" Nephrite chided the younger man. "Do you honestly believe the words from your mouth?"

"It matters not what I believe. Queen Beryl will make the best choices for her mission. Now, Her Majesty is not pleased, it wouldn't do to keep her waiting."


	27. Society Ties

"Zoicite, I wish to commend you for this information." Queen Beryl addressed Zoicite as he and Nephrite both stood bowed in front of her.

"I hope to surpass myself in obtaining the Crystal itself." Zoicite answered expertly, and Beryl had to stifle a laugh. The Silver Imperium Crystal was said to be owned by the Moon Princess, who was capable of wielding its full power. Power enough to nearly annihilate Queen Metallia. What made Zoicite so confident he could obtain it?

"What is this information?" Nephrite asked.

"Tomorrow evening, a princess known as Diamond will be unveiling her ancient family treasure, the Imperial Crystal." Beryl explained.

"I heard a rumor about it, and then researched it. I hope it pleases you, Majesty." Zoicite knew how th play the deferential card, when it suited him.

"This could very easily not be the crystal." Nephrite explained. "The humans have a fascination with themselves, and it could be an event of pretentiousness."

"I agree, Nephrite, but it is worth pursuing." Queen Beryl noted. "Besides, if this is news among the humans, then Sailor Moon must know about it by now. I'm quite certain she will be there for much the same reason. We can strike in secret."

"Of course, your Majesty. It would be my pleasure to destroy these Sailor Scouts." Zoicite bowed.

"What makes you so confident, Zoicite?" Nephrite chided. "Sailor Moon is no pushover, and your forget you are one, she has many allies to call upon."

"Perhaps if you weren't such a failure, Nephrite." Zoicite returned.

"I will not have infighting!" Beryl silenced them both. "Sailor Moon has proved herself powerful, and quite the nuisance. Yesterday, she annihilated one of my own personal youma doing reconnaissance. I want you and Nephrite to work together on this mission." Beryl delivered.

"What!" Both of her subordinates were incredulous.

"Am I clear?" Beryl scowled. "Zoicite, I want you to ascertain whether or not this Imperial Crystal is actually what it is we're looking for. If it is, you bring it back and kill the Moon Princess. We can't risk the Crystal somehow getting back to her. Nephrite, you will be on the lookout for the Sailor Scouts or Tuxedo Mask or anyone else who might interfere with this, and deal with them brutally."

"Majesty, what should be done if this crystal ends up just being jewelry?" Nephrite asked.

"I have no need for baubles." Queen Beryl replied. "If it's not what we want, leave it. I certainly won't punish you for this crystal being fake, but I'm certain if it is that way, you two will think of something to make the night not a complete waste." Beryl noted.

"With your leave, my Queen, I shall prepare." Zoicite bowed. Beryl nodded, and he teleported away.

"Majesty, may I ask something?" Nephrite asked.

"You may."

"You mentioned that Sailor Moon had destroyed one of your youma yesterday."

"I did, Nephrite. And I expect you to punish her for this slight." Beryl returned.

"I was curious, what was your youma doing all alone?" Nephrite asked, and Beryl paused. It did not surprise her Nephrite would ask this question. Zoicite possessed a singular determination to advance her position. Nephrite, while emotional, knew how to look at everything that was happening.

"My youma only happened upon Sailor Moon." Beryl saw no harm in admitting this truth.

"What sort of information was it collecting, Majesty?" Nephrite asked.

"That is my prerogative." Beryl returned. Her youma was looking for Jedite, but it seemed Sailor Moon found it first.

Jedite had mentioned before that the Sailor Scouts always showed up. She had dismissed it as his failure, maybe there was more truth to it than she realized.

"Nephrite, I want you to be very cautious on this mission. Even if the crystal turns out to not be the one I want, I suspect that Sailor Moon will appear chasing the same rumor. And I also think that whoever the traitor is will be revealed as well."

"Majesty, if you suspect someone, then, by your leave, please allow me to destroy them for this affront."

"Patience, Nephrite. I have no idea where to find him." Beryl remarked. "But I have my suspicions, and I suspect that he will also be attempting to gain the Silver Crystal."

"Is he an ally of the Sailor Scouts?"

"Perhaps." Beryl remarked. "But perhaps not. Perhaps he's merely a meddler aligned with no one. But ally or not, this would certainly be a way to interfere with our plans. Nephrite, I want you to keep an eye out for this traitor tonight. He will surely reveal himself, and when he does, I expect you to eliminate him, Am I understood, Nephrite?"

"Yes. Majesty." Nephrite bowed, then teleported away. Now that she was alone, Beryl thought for a second. Erinyes was annihilated by Sailor Moon, she knew this for a fact. However, there was a specific reason why she had chosen that particular youma. Her ability to petrify worked on any human, and it would work on the Sailor Scouts. However, that petrification was specific to humans, and it wouldn't work on anyone else. Even those with special powers would have been affected.

Someone like Jedite would have been perfectly immune, and Erinyes would have been nearly powerless against him. He had to have been working with Sailor Moon on this one.

And this thought gave Beryl pause. If she had not ordered Jedite assassinated, he would have either succeeded in destroying the Scouts, failed and be punished with Eternal Sleep, or be dead. Now, he had defected, and used the knowledge he had against her, knowledge that was tipping the balance.

She was the only one who could see all of the pieces on her side, and she wondered, would Nephrite and Zoicite be able to handle this? She wondered whether or not Malachite should go as well. Jedite would be no match for him.

But she decided against it. Malachite and Zoicite were lovers, and would allow Zoicite to sabotage Nephrite to gain his position. Further, neither Zoicite nor Malachite had any experience dealing with Sailor Moon, and that would be disastrous at this point, particularly if the Silver Crystal turned out to be real. One misstep, and she'd be fighting a losing battle. Taking Nephrite away was out of the question.

Beryl had some more planning to do.

* * *

"Unveil the Imperial Crystal?" Raye had gathered everyone at the temple in order to deliver the news she heard about today.

"I've heard about that." Luna noted. "I'm very curious. It could be what we're looking for."

"This seems weird to me." Jedite shrugged. "If the crystal is as powerful as it's said to be, why would it be treated like some piece of jewelry?"

"Perhaps she's not aware of it's power, maybe she only thinks it's jewelry?"

"Or maybe this is her way of sending a message." Luna remarked.

"It's says the party is a closed invitation." Amy continued to read the newspaper. "But still, it's worth checking out. We need to think of a way to get in."

"I think it sounds fairly simple. We break in and check it out." Jedite remarked.

"Break in? We're supposed to be the good guys." Serena replied.

"How else would we get in. None of us have invitations. I think I should impersonate a security guard, make my way to the crystal, and do a little theft. If it's good, I talk to the Princess. If not, I leave."

"By yourself? Won't the Negaverse come after it?" Serena asked.

"Assuredly." Jedite returned. "But what choice do we have?"

"Molly's got an invitation. Maybe I'll see if I can take her place. She doesn't want to go anyway."

"She's the one who liked Nephrite?" Jedite asked. "That's a weakness to be exploited if he sees her. Make sure she doesn't go."

"What about the rest of us?" Raye asked.

"I don't know. I doubt it will be as easy as sneaking into the acting gig."

"I'll try to think of something. Let's meet back here tomorrow." Am remarked, and the Scouts departed. This whole mission gave Amy a bad feeling. Queen Beryl would not let this go, and if she got her hands on the Crystal, that would be a disaster. Amy liked pressure, but not when it was the world in the balance.


	28. A Formal Affair

"Hey, Serena!" Molly was quite cheerful when she invited Serena in. Molly wasn't in the whole rest of the day, so she had to settle with visiting her the day of the event. She just hoped it went well.

"Hey, Moll!" Serena noted. She knew exactly what Jedite and Amy had said to do: Somehow get Molly to give her the invitation to the party. It would accomplish the task of her getting into the party, as well as keeping her away from Nephrite.

"What's up?" Molly asked.

"I just wanted to talk about that fancy Princess Diamond party." Serena remarked.

"Oh." Molly immediately turned sour.

"Why are you so down on that? You don't wanna go?" Serena asked.

"No, I don't. Those things are totally boring." Molly returned.

"All those hot guys in tuxedos, how's that boring?"

"But they aren't interesting people, all rich snobs. Oh, if only I knew Maxfield Stanton was going. At least then it would be bearable."

"Moll, if you don't wanna go, you don't have to." Serena noted. "I'd go in a heartbeat."

"Serena, my mom's making me."

"I'd go in your place!" Serena remarked. "I'd even study jewels and all that stuff."

"Serena, my mom wouldn't allow it." Molly remarked. "Just give it up. If it's any consolation, I'll be bored out of my skull while you can do something fun with your friends."

"Oh, Molly, put your foot down with your mom. You should have fun too."

"No chance of that." Molly sighed. "Now I have to change into my dress." Molly stood up and sighed.

"_Well, I tried." _Serena thought. Now she had to think of another way to get there. Jedite might be able to sneak in on his own, but he was anticipating trouble, and it wouldn't do to have him all alone without backup. Sailor Moon protected her friends, and Jedite may have been a rival before, but now he was a friend. Serena marveled for a moment, that she could consider Jedite that.

Once Serena headed home, she was greeted by her father.

"Hi, Serena!" Her father was wearing a tuxedo, an unusual choice of wardrobe for him.

"Hi, Dad. All dressed up?"

"With somewhere to go." He immediately finished. "Got an invite at work to Princess Diamond's gala!"

"That glamourous high-society event!" Serena tried to play it cool.

"Sure did, the boss needed someone to take all the pictures, and who better than your old man!" Her father pointed to himself and laughed.

"Oh Dad, please tell me I can go." Serena asked wistfully.

"Sorry, pumpkin, the brass only gave me one invitation. I'm still hearing about it from your mother."

"Oh." Serena moped.

"I'm sorry, honey." Her dad kissed her forehead. "I'll tell you all about it when I get home, and I'll take some pictures just for you. Now wash up for dinner, honey. We have to eat early."

"Are you sure I can't go?" Serena pleaded.

"No, precious." Her father patted her on the head, and then headed into the kitchen. Serena sighed and headed into the living room.

"What's wrong, Serena? Did talking to Molly not go so well?" Luna, perched on the couch, asked.

"No. Now we can't get in."

"Serena, wasn't plan A to have Jedite sneak in there?" Luna asked.

"But the bad guys are going to be there, we can't just have one person go it alone. We're a team and we stand together. There's got to be another way in."

"Short of sneaking in like he is, how do you plan on getting in. It's a high-society affair." Luna noted.

Serena thought for a moment.

"I've got just the thing!" Serena cheered.

"Do I even want to hear this?" Luna asked. Serena continued to giggle as she pulled out the Luna Pen.

Why hadn't she thought of this before? The Luna Pen could make her look and act just like a princess. No one would question royalty.

"Serena!" Luna chided.

"Disguise Power! Turn me into the most beautiful princess the world has ever seen!" She invoked the pen's power. Her fuku had become a gorgeous long gown, complete with fancy shoes, jewelry, and parasol.

"What do you think?" Serena asked.

"You certainly look regal." Luna noted. "But I don't see how that can help."

"I'll walk right in through the front door, make up some bigwig name, and by the time they catch on, I'll be well on my way finding the crystal. After I nosh on some hors d'oeuvre, of course."

"Well, I have no idea if this will work or not, but I don't really have any other plans, and having backup is always a good thing. For now, though, you should transform back before your mother comes in."

* * *

When the sun fell from the sky, Jedite was all ready to spring his plan into action. While it would have been simple to simple teleport where the crystal was, things were not that easy. To properly teleport, one had to know where it is one was going. While Jedite was certain the crystal was inside the stately manor in front if him, that manor was quite large, and where the crystal was in that manor, Jedite had no clue. He could inadvertently teleport into a wall if he was not careful. No, this required Jedite to be careful.

There was a crowd assembling as guests began to arrive, but Jedite cared not for them, he looked closely at the guards at the door. All wore tuxedos, there was slight bulges underneath their suit jackets, indicating shoulder holsters for pistols.

They seemed quite prepared for trouble, at least, that of a mundane threat. A handgun would be useless against any of Beryl's generals. Jedite found a hidden place in order to assume his disguise, so that his clothes could look exactly like the ones of the guards. While still hidden, Jedite teleported to a dark corner of the courtyard, hidden by the shadows and by a large tree.

It was quiet, and mostly empty. There were two men standing by a shut side door. They appeared to be talking, although Jedite couldn't make out what they were saying. In their hands, they each had a lit cigarette.

"_That'll work." _Jedite thought. In addition to a few other abilities, all of Beryl's generals had the ability to work illusions. Just like with his telekinesis, the more he knew about the thing he wished to create, the more believable the illusion. He had seen humans smoking these things before. Why they would willingly poison themselves with it was another thing entirely, but humans were pretty stupid.

Jedite walked towards the men. While they reacted nervously at the sound of his footsteps, they seemed to relax a bit when they noticed he was as they were: Dressed the same and out for a cigarette break.

"Evening." Jedite replied.

"Who are you?" One of the guards asked.

"A new guard." Jedite replied expertly. He had to act like he belonged there, like he was supposed to be around. Working with Saffron and that crew was paying off immensely.

"I thought I heard something. Turned out to just be a squirrel." Jedite acted professionally.

"Newbies. Give it time." The other guard returned to his cigarette.

"What a night, huh?" Jedite attempted to make conversation, to act friendly towards them. Humans were always so simple when it came to relationships.

"Yeah, but too many high-society chicks." One of the guards shrugged. "All act like they're so dignified and ladylike. Not a single one's up for a quickie in a guest room. Course, once the party gets started, who knows." The two men laughed, Jedite chuckled to keep the charade, but he knew he should not speak. He might reveal himself.

"Well, tobacco's over." The men put out their cigarettes in a nearby trashcan with an ashtray on top.

"Time to get back to work. You comin'?" The man offered Jedite.

"Yeah." Once the men turned back to the door, Jedite willed his illusionary cigarette away, and then, as a gentleman, held the door open after the man unlocked it.

"_Was it always this easy. How is this crystal not stolen already?" _Jedite thought. If it was easy for him, than it would be easy for Nephrite and whoever else. He had to be cautious.

He wondered if Amy had thought of an idea to bring themselves into the party. Jedite hadn't the time after work, he quite literally had come straight to the gala.

Molly and Serena both had mentioned Nephrite's human identity was a wealthy man named Maxfield Stanton. He would attempt to come in that way. If the Scouts thought of a way in, they would be going as guests as well. It went quite well, then. While Nephrite was distracted with the Sailors, Jedite could get the crystal. It was an almost perfect plan.

But Jedite had thought that about many of his plans, plans Sailor Moon was quick to upend. He would need to move quickly.


	29. Party Games

Serena stepped up to the entrance of the large mansion, dressed in the party gown she had used the Disguise Pen for.

Even standing here, Serena couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated. These people probably made more money in a day then she'd e ver see in a lifetime. At the same time, the glamour was intoxicating, and Serena nearly lost her balance.

She composed herself. She needed to act like a princess, a real lady. She strode up towards the mansion's doors.

"Excuse me, miss. Do you have your invitation." A suited, wiry looking man stated beside her.

"I am the Countess Rhodes!" Serena delivered petulantly, hoping to be provoking enough for it to work. This guy better be used to dealing with stuck-up royalty

"Err...yes, ma'am. Just a moment." The man began to look in his book of listed party guests. Serena simply strode in with her head held high. By the time they caught on to check, she'd be in the party proper, and they wouldn't create such a disturbance on this evening. At least, that's what Serena was hoping for.

Once she made it into the ballroom, she was enchanted. Rows upon rows of dolled-up ladies, tuxedoed gentlemen, and all weaning masks. It was just like out of a fairytale, and Serena lamented the fact that she was here on business, and couldn't dance the night away.

Jedite must have already infiltrated the mansion by now, and was on his way to the crystal. Serena reasoned that it would be best if she stayed as the lookout, and kept an eye out for Nephrite. Maxfield Stanton was his name, and Molly was hoping he'd be here.

"_Speaking of Molly, that's a good place to look." _Serena thought. Molly would be hoping to see him, so she'd be more attentive for him. Had he arrived already?

Molly was going to be wearing a teal dress. With all of these masks, it was hard to look for anyone, but she definitely wanted to look for teal.

Serena headed over to the hors d'ouevres table, hoping to see if she could catch a glimpse of Molly there. But the food smelled quite good, and Serena felt it her obligation to sample. It would go to waste otherwise.

"May I...have the next dance?" A male voice called from behind her. Serena was nearly paralyzed when someone spoke to her. She knew no one here aside from Jedite, and Jedite wouldn't do such a thing, he was busy finding the crystal.

Expecting to see some random admirer, Serena stopped in her tracks when she saw the elegant Tuxedo Mask standing right in front of her. What was he doing here? Was he after the crystal too? He always showed up when the Scouts were in danger, was there about to be a battle?

Or was it merely a chance meeting, like always running into that jerk-wad Darien. How Raye could date him, and Jedite be friends with him, was truly boggling.

It took all of Serena's willpower to prevent herself from melting into a puddle as he took her by the hand.

"You may." She tried to muster with as much class as she could. Her voice was the only thing classy about her at this point. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute, and her head was awash in crazy thoughts.

* * *

Jedite shuddered a bit once he was alone. He could sense two different dark presences nearby, but neither of them belonged to a youma.

Beryl must have been taking this very seriously: Did she send two of her generals to handle the job? Whom? Jedite hoped Malachite was not rearing his ugly head, a battle there would be horribly one-sided. Jedite knew he had gotten stronger, thanks to battling youma and his own training, but Malachite possessed a power greater than Queen Beryl herself. He would not want to fight him without an army by his side.

But Beryl knew of the infighting brought on by the petty Zoicite, the primary reason why Jedite refused to allow him to accompany him. Beryl would risk this petty man, who'd sacrifice all for ambition? Nephrite and Malachite was a possibility, particularly if Queen Beryl believed this rumor about the Imperium Silver Crystal.

Jedite knew he'd have to work quickly. He followed the guards for a moment up winding stairs and corridors, and then they returned to their posts outside an elegant wooden door.

"Do you mind if the new guy asks a few questions?" Jedite asked.

"What's up, newb?" One of the guards asked.

"Princess Diamond. What kind of girl is she?" Jedite asked. "I've...I've taken a few jobs before this where my charge would...suddenly feel ill, order us out of the room, and disappear to...slum. Is she like that, if so, I hope we're stationed properly." Jedite had read many human books in order to prepare for his mission harvesting energy, and this was a theme he had seen done before.

The man laughed.

"Like she'd do that!" The man laughed. "Princess Diamond's gotta be scared of her own shadow!" The man spoke quietly, and Jedite wondered why. Perhaps she lurked beyond this very door, and they didn't want her to overhear. But he couldn't ask that question, lest he seem an intruder.

"Easily scared?" Jedite asked.

"Nah, just bad with crowds." The man clarified. "Her father's pretty down about that. I mean, she's gonna be a queen, and she can barely address a crowd of people who would love her no matter what she said."

"Well." The other guy shrugged. "That's not our job. We're just here to keep the rich folks in line and look good in monkey suits." The two guards chuckled again. Jedite wasn't sure whether to appreciate their candor or find them utterly ridiculous.

"Perhaps Princess Diamond needs a pep talk." Jedite executed his plan.

"Heh, I doubt it. Girl's been seeing counselors since she was six. Where's your post, anyway?"

"Outside the princess's door. This place can get so confusing sometimes." Jedite was worried he had backed himself into a corner now.

"Well, unless you're trying to steal some smokes from us, you better head back upstairs." The man replied.

"Right, I'll get on that." Jedite nodded to the guys. "Thanks for making the new guy feel welcome." He laughed at them to match their candor, and headed in the direction they indicated. As he began to walk down the hallways, he could feel one of the dark presences again. In the direction that Princess Diamond, and that crystal, where supposed to be.

Time was now Jedite's enemy.

* * *

Zoicite crept silently through the hallways, avoiding security whenever he could.

This was almost too easy. From the outside, he had seen a completely darkened room on the third floor. A darkened room in a house with a party meant only one thing: it wasn't in use. No use meant no people. Once a suitable hidden place was found, Zoicite teleported into that empty room.

He laughed to himself. Nephrite was such a failure, and it was only because he was, in fact, powerful that he merited any sort of consideration by Beryl.

But all his power amounted to was little. Just like Jedite, who wasn't very powerful, Nephrite faltered against these Sailor Scouts. Zoicite was smart enough to know the reason why: Their own arrogance and vice cost them. Jedite saw the Scouts as rivals, and would halt his progress to deal with them, rather then do the proper thing of getting the energy back to Beryl. Nephrite was too concerned with doing things his way he couldn't think of alternatives. Jedite may have been a failure, but at the very least, he understood innovation. He merely lacked the power to pull it off properly.

Zoicite was not like them. She was trained by the great Malachite, who's power was eclipsed only by the great Queen Metallia. Perhaps even Metallia herself would see Malachite as greater than Beryl, and would take a new ruler. That new ruler would need someone by his side, and Zoicite knew that the role was one he'd best fulfill.

But until then, Beryl was in charge, and Beryl wanted to see if this crystal was actually the Silver Imperium Crystal. This would be easy enough to find. All Zoicite had to do was look for the room surrounded by the most guards, knock out the pathetic humans and the princess with his power, then ascertain for herself.

Beryl's ordered would be followed, but what Zoicite didn't understand was why Nephrite had to be around on this mission. Beryl had claimed it was because the Sailor Scouts might interfere, which Zoicite would not deny. But why Nephrite, who had failed miserable. Malachite would have made an excellent partner, and he was so handsome wearing what the human's called "formalwear"

But for now, Zoicite had to concentrate on the crystal. If he brought that home, then the position of second of the Shitennou would be assured.

Zoicite paused as he moved through the corridors. He could hear no one, but he could feel something. Feel something coming closer. A dark energy, a familiar energy. Was Nephrite attempting to move for the crystal first? That would be so like him. Zoicite paused. The hallway was empty, and the power was coming closer. He could deal with it, whatever it was.

"You're not supposed to be here!" A male voice called towards her. Zoicite said nothing as the figure came into the hallway. A tall, blonde man, dressed like one of the many security guards here.

"_I paused for a mere human?" _Zoicite criticized himself. He must have been jumpy, thinking Nephrite would strike so soon.

"Do you have an invitation?" The guard asked.

"Right here." Zoicite noted. "Zoi!" He attacked him with a wave of energy, a wind of powerful rose petals sharp enough to slice through skin, a gust strong enough to knock a grown man prone. The man rose up his hand, palm facing Zoicite, and the wave of petals was deflected harmlessly away from his body.

"_What!" _Zoicite wondered. While it was true he didn't put his full energy into that attack, no mere human should have power like that even weakened as the attack was.

Was this the dark presence he was feeling, and Nephrite hadn't struck yet? Or was this a plot of his?

Now the evening started to get interesting.


	30. Full Swing

Zoicite had made no effort to disguise himself, and was relying on his own powers to get through this mansion and take the crystal. Jedite was astounded by his arrogance. Did he truly think this would be such a cakewalk?

Jedite may have blocked the attack, but he wasn't about to reveal himself further by using his telekinesis. After the attack faded, Jedite charged forward in an attempt to ram the younger general. Zoicite seemed surprised by the attack, and it connected.

He retaliated with another attack, one much stronger than before. Jedite underestimated the strength he'd put into it, and while the rose petals didn't cut him much, the force knocked him prone. He scrambled to his feet, but when he did, Zoicite was gone. Did he fall back to regroup? He couldn't sense either of the two dark presences being nearby.

An attempt to look for him would be foolish without some point of reference, this place was huge. The best thing to do would be to continue on his mission, find the princess, and, if Zoicite attempted something again, he'd be ready for her.

Jedite looked down at the small cuts in his jacket, and willed his illusion to repair them. It would not do for anyone to see that he his blood was not the human red. While his cuts would bleed, his black suit jacket should hide that.

"Is someone there?" A meek female voice called behind him. Jedite turned around to see a bespectacled woman in a large red dress, complete with petticoats and hoop skirt.

Jedite recognized her picture from the newspaper Amy had. This was Princess Diamond herself. How fortunate to run into her here.

"Your Majesty." Jedite bowed. This woman was no princess of his, but the illusion of a lowly security guard required one show the proper deference.

"What was that noise?" Princess Diamond asked.

"Just a guest who had lost his way looking for the lavatory. Are you well this eve?" Jedite attempted to steer the conversation.

"I am fine, thank you." The girl was nervous when speaking, and Jedite found it odd. Was she not Princess Diamond, who was superior to these guards? How could she not act her station?

"If it is all the same, my princess, that guest was persistent at meeting you." Jedite spun a lie in order to get close. "I think it prudent if I escort you where you need to go. Party guests can be quite strange."

"Y..yes. I suppose I better." The woman was easily suggestible, and Jedite was glad he found her first, rather than Zoicite or whoever the other general was that was here. Jedite could charm his way to the crystal, and ascertain things on his own. Once the crystal was determined to be real or fake, Jedite's mission was done.

He couldn't feel any special energy from Princess Diamond. In all respects, she seemed a normal human girl. Did that mean she was not the Moon Princess? If she wasn't, did that mean the crystal was not the one Jedite sought?

Jedite criticized himself for being hasty. Perhaps she was but human, but the crystal could still be authentic. And perhaps the Crystal would bestow power on the Princess if a certain condition was met.

"Please lead, Princess." Jedite bowed. "I am here to serve." The princess curtsied, and she quickly led Jedite towards a room, flanked by two guards.

"Good evening, gentlemen." Princess Diamond greeted.

"My lady." The two men bowed slightly. "Where have you been?"

"I was downstairs speaking with my father, but then I heard quite the bedlam as I was coming back. This guard offered to escort me back."

"Evening." Jedite was pleasant, turning on his acting charms.

"It wouldn't do if something like that happened again." Jedite turned to the Princess. "Are there no guards patrolling the halls?" Jedite asked.

"Well..." One of the men started.

"It seems a rather bothersome guest, a man in a ponytail and garish military jacket. Keep an eye out for someone suspicious like that!" Jedite ordered the two guards. Princess Diamond seemed entranced by his stern voice.

"Thank you. Sir Guard. Might you come in a moment. I have something I need to ask you." The princess asked.

"I can if Her Highness wills." Jedite kept his charms rolling. This was too easy.

* * *

In nice, formal outfits, Raye and Amy stood outside of the gala, like many of the other onlookers.

"What a large house." Raye commented. "I bet the whole temple could fit in the main hall."

"How does anyone find anything in that place? I'm a little worried Serena and Jedite might not be able to find the princess." Amy pointed out.

"They can handle it." Raye shrugged. "Jedite's got a good head on his shoulders, and I'm sure Serena will be stuffing her face full of cake, so it's not like Jedite will have to watch her back in a fight or anything."

"That's mean." Amy returned. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary here."

"I can sense a presence in the house, but it could just be Jedite." Raye answered. "From this distance, it's hard to make out a lot. Besides, how would we get in. Serena bluffed her way through the front door with the Disguise Pen and Jedite used his teleportation. We don't have either of those.

"I could scan with my visor. Maybe there's a structural weakness we could exploit in the fence."

"Wow, Amy, you really are thinking ahead." Raye praised. "Yeah, better to not be needed and there then the opposite."

"I couldn't agree more." Amy chuckled. The two began to walk around the mansion.

* * *

The party was even more of a snoozer than Molly thought it would be. Perhaps she should have given her invitation to Serena and told her mom Melvin had to help her study for some sort of test. Her mother would have allowed that: Education was very important to her, particularly of the schooling she had missed in order to run the family jewelry store.

She didn't speak with anyone, and took to eating small bits of food. She'd never had caviar or any of this rich people food before, and she was in no hurry to try it again.

"Why hello!" A voice perked her up as Molly was prepared to find a way to sneak away. She looked up to see a tall man with long brown hair, his eyes covered by a mask, like many of the other party guests here.

"Hello." She replied.

"You don't remember me? I'm hurt." The man laughed, and lifted his mask. Molly was enchanted when he did, for standing before her was Maxfield Stanton, the socialite. From the tennis match.

"Oh, hello, Mister Stanton!" Molly curtsied.

"Why do you seem so down? It's a party. Come, let us dance." He offered his hand to her.

"Oh, I can't dance, and I..."

"A pretty think like you not know how to dance? You're just pulling my leg." Maxfield then swept Molly into his arms, and the two moved to the floor.

He took the lead, but Molly did her best to follow. Maxfield was so light on his feet, it was almost like he had the ability to fly.

"Aw, look at that, you do know your way around. And here I thought you didn't like me." Maxfield remarked.

"Oh, this party is picking up for me." Molly smiled as she continued. Once the dance was finished, Maxfield invited her onto the balcony, overlooking the backyard. The moon was full, the stars out. The hustle of the city was far away.

"It's such a dreamy night. You really made it better for me, Mister Stanton."

"Just call me Maxfield." He laughed. "Tell me, what brings you here? Were you hoping to see the Imperial Crystal as well?"

"Well, my mother wanted me to come, they invited all the jewelers in town. But now I get to spend the evening with you."

"Well, far be it from me to refuse a lady's affections." Maxfield leaned on the balcony. "Talk a little."

"Oh, I don't know what to say." Molly became nervous and blushed.

"Perhaps words are overrated. Close your eyes, pucker your lips." Maxfield whispered. Molly's heart nearly leapt from her chest. Maxfield was going to kiss her! She never could have dreamed. Serena was going to be so jealous. She followed instructions, trusting the socialite implicitly, and prepared for the her first kiss.


	31. Thief and the Princess

"_You humans are so simple." _Nephrite thought to himself as Molly puckered up for her kiss. While Nephrite had erased her memories of the night at the department store, when he dressed like Tuxedo Mask, it seems that love, whatever it was, was still there. In addition to being a powerful force of energy, it let Molly's guard down and allowed her to do some pretty stupid things. Nephrite stretched out his hand, and implanted his own energy into the girl. Unlike implanting a youma, this would allow him to give her commands that she would follow.

"_Good." _Nephrite thought. "_Now you belong to the Negaverse, Molly. Now listen clearly. Steal the Imperial Crystal and bring it to me outside." _Nephrite mentally commanded her. Molly nodded, and walked back into the party.

This was the perfect plot for outdoing Zoicite. The ban on youma was still in effect, and Zoicite did not have the ability to possess an actual human. He'd attempt to get the crystal himself, making him a prime target for the Sailor Scouts, Tuxedo Mask, Jed Hanson, or whomever else would interfere with this plan. Meanwhile, Nephrite could just have Molly waltz in there and tkae the crystal. He could harvest her energy when he was done, then be back with the crystal to Beryl, who could ascertain whether or not it was useful or not.

And then Nephrite wondered if any of them could detect if Molly was possessed. To his surprise, he felt the strangest pang of regret, that she could become a victim in this.

"_That...that doesn't make sense." _Nephrite tried to dismiss. "_We use whatever resources our at our disposal. Molly is such a one." _He justified it in his head, but it still didn't sound right. He needed to get this thought out of his head quickly, it could affect the mission.

But he didn't want to, Molly claimed she loved him, and at first, it seemed like merely an energy mine, but here was a woman willing to act on his will, needing little in reciprocation. It wasn't the possibilities of it that interested him, but the fact that it existed. It gave him pause.

What did it mean? Perhaps he'd think about it once the Crystal was in his possession.

* * *

"What is it, Princess Diamond?" Jedite straightened his bow tie.

"You mentioned that a strange guest was in the halls. I'd feel much safer if you were here with me. I heard such a bedlam, are you all right?"

"Yes, your Highness." Jedite remarked. He hoped she wouldn't become curious and come in for a look: Jedite was bleeding slightly, and while the black tuxedo jacket disguised the green color, it wouldn't bear close scrutiny.

"It won't be long, I promise." Princess Diamond replied. "Just until my body double comes."

"Body double?" Jedite questioned.

"To present the crystal. I hope she gets here soon."

"Why would need a double, Princess? Are you worried for your safety?"

"No, not that." The Princess retracted quickly, as if apologizing. Perhaps she was born into the position of power, she certainly did not earn it herself. But Jedite kept that thought to himself.

"I...I don't want to go out there, with all those people. Looking at me, watching me. All they need to do is see the crystal, anyway."

"Your Highness, these people are here to see you." Jedite countered. If this woman was the Moon Princess, he needed her and the crystal exactly where he could see them. Splitting them up would mean he'd have to divide his focus. Unless the Scouts managed to find a way in, but that was doubtful. He couldn't rely on that.

"But all those people. It's...it's scary."

"Your Highness, you are a princess." Jedite stated. "Being a princess involves such matters, does it not?"

"Being born a princess." Princess Diamond did not curse, but she did not speak of her birthright as if it pleased her.

"I'm no good with people, I cannot lead them. Please do not speak palliatives, I know it for a fact. I'm timid and nervous, and small in stature. No one looks to me for inspiration. The best I can do is put on a fake facade. " The Princess looked at Jedite in her mirror.

"Your Highness." Jedite remarked. He had to think of something, some way to bolster her confidence. But he was never good with others, not even with Titus.

"Your Highness, it is a..." Jedite hesitated. This girl was used to people telling her of her duty.

"Confidence comes from within, the ability to stand up and say that you can do something, despite being scared, and if a failure comes about, you can state that it would have only been worse without you there." Jedite spoke sternly, approaching the princess. With all the berating he had taken from Beryl, he knew what it was like to be timid in the presence of something powerful. But he had to stand up and be strong, else there was no purpose in his life once Beryl decided he was of no use to her.

"Someone can do incredible things, your Highness, when they put their mind to it. Why is it you cannot?" Jedite could alter his voice and inflection and make himself sound comforting, but the whole concept of caring for others was new to him He had only recently come to know people worth caring about.

"I..." Princess Diamond looked meek. "I'm sorry. I just don't know how to be comfortable around those people, who think I'm some deity come to life. I'm just a girl."

"I knew some females who were very powerful, and they were just girls." Jedite attempted to resassure. But there was a knock on the door.

"Princess!" One of the guards came into the room. "There's a..." The man started to speak, but a woman in a blue dress walked into the room.

"Princess Diamond, so nice to see you!" The woman greeted. Jedite paused for a second, this was Molly Baker, Serena's friend from school. How did she know the princess?

Immediately after she spoke, Nephrite began to sense a dark presence emanating from Molly. Nephrite had to be behind this, that girl seemed to be his favorite target for an inexplicable reason.

"Who are you!" Jedite had to bluff and pretend as if he didn't know her. Familiarity would invite conversation, and he needed her far away from the Princess as fast as possible.

"Who are you?" Molly reversed.

"A security guard, and the one asking the questions. Princess Diamond did not summon you."

"Oh, you're perfect!" Princess Diamond declared.

"What!" Jedite protested.

"We just need to touch up your hair, put some glasses on you. You'll be just like me to present the crystal."

"Of course. Since we have to change, can we dismiss the men?" Molly seemed surprised by Diamond's request, but quickly recovered. There was no youma controlling her, Nephrite must have implanted his own energy.

"Please wait outside." Princess Diamond addressed Jedite and the guards at the door.

"Princess, this is a terrible idea. We don't know this woman, and for all we know, she could..."

"I have given an order." The Princess dropped her characteristic meekness and ordered Jedite. Now he had a conundrum. If he attacked, he was revealed to be a fraud, everyone would look for him. Diamond and the Crystal would disappear. If he let this go, Molly would take the crystal in order to bring it to Nephrite he was certain that's what the plan was.

Jedite had to wait outside. Molly could not teleport like Jedite could. She'd come through the door with the crystal. He'd be ready to catch a thief.


	32. Discovery

Dancing with Tuxedo Mask was every bit as heavenly as Serena imagined it would be. He was so light on his feet, and he knew how to lead. Serena herself felt as klutzy as ever, and it was a wonder she did not fall down.

"Thank you." Serena curtsied. She could hear flashbulbs taking pictures of her, and the looking of the other guests. Was her father taking pictures of her, too? She giggled to herself.

"What is your name, good sir?" Serena asked in a very classy tone. She never did know Tuxedo Mask's name, his real name.

Tuxedo Mask did not answer, and continued to dance. She supposed she should be flattered he was paying that close attention to her, but she wanted to know so much more about him. He helped in battle, but battles only took up so much time, and there was plenty more for romance.

Serena sighed for a moment. She didn't want to introduce herself as the Countess Rhodes, the fake name she used to bluff her way in. But she didn't want to call herself Sailor Moon in front of all these people.

So she continued to dance. There would be time later tonight to be in private.

* * *

"Oh, I'm so glad you're finally here!" Princess Diamond cheered towards Molly. From far away, Nephrite could see through Molly's eyes, and was completely surprised by her complete eagerness. Whatever it was she was expecting, Nephrite had no patience for it.

There was truly nothing to worry about. There weren't any Sailor Scouts here, no one with any real power. The security guards may have spoken against this idea, but Nephrite had already planned for that. To them, Molly was just some errant party guest, and they'd treat her in such a way. They wouldn't talk to their Princess in such a manner.

Nephrite allowed the princess to obtain the crystal, and he could see it through Molly's eyes. He couldn't sense if it had any power or not, he needed to have the crystal brought to him first.

"Well, let's get ready." The Princess replied.

"_Indeed." _Nephrite thought, and brought his shadow from out of Molly. Princess Diamond screamed and retreated, but Nephrite's shadow was far quicker, and infected the bespectacled lady as quick as it had done to Molly. Once the Princess was now under his control, he quickly ordered her to grab the crystal and head outside.

The princess moved quickly, but once she opened the door, someone called to her. Through the princess's eyes, Nephrite saw a number of security guards, calling her, asking her what she was doing.

"Do not question royalty!" Nephrite had the princess order.

"Princess!" Another called.

"_I have no time for this." _Nephrite thought. Infecting the princess with his shadow gave her a slight measure of power, power enough to blast these fools with a dark energy blast to knock them unconscious. After a quick attack, the princess sprinted away as fast as her legs would carry her. There was no need for subtlety now, the mission was about to be over. All that needed to happen now was to retrieve the crystal for a quick teleport back to Queen Beryl's base.

He could imagine the look on Zoicite's face now.

* * *

When Princess Diamond burst from her room holding what appeared to be the Imperial Crystal in her hand, Jedite didn't need to sense the dark energy emanating from her to know there was a problem. That girl was so timid and meek, she'd be scared of a small fire.

The other guards called to her, and she immediately snapped back a response not to question her. When they questioned her again, she rose her hand, and shot out a wave of dark energy towards the guards, knocking them all down. Quickly, Jedite got to his feet.

"What is happening to my daughter?" An old man with a mustache called out.

"I'm on it!" Jedite stated before sprinting off after her. She couldn't have gotten far, and Jedite could sense the dark presence to guide him in the right direction.

Jedite heard an alarm sound through the entire house, not that it mattered much. Princess Diamond was being controlled, she wouldn't stop for decorum. Jedite continued the pursuit and she led him straight into the ballroom, where couples stood in intense shock. Diamond herself was running towards the balcony, and Jedite had to keep in hot pursuit.

Once he got outside, Diamond was not alone on the lonely balcony. Nephrite was also standing there, arm extended, waiting for the princess to hand him the crystal.

"No!" Jedite shouted, which gained Nephrite's attention.

"You! I've had just about enough of you, Jed Hanson!" Nephrite spit out Jedite's fake name as if it was a curse.

"What's going on out here!" A female voice shouted from the doorway. Jedite quickly averted his gaze to look, and saw that an elegantly dressed woman in a pink dress and parasol, looking utterly confused.

It was Serena. She had snuck in after all.

"I don't have time for this. Princess, give me the crystal!" Nephrite delivered.

"Of course, Master Nephrite." The girl noted, stretching out her hand to give the case containing the crystal away

"No! The crystal is mine!" Jedite shouted, and immediately used his telekinesis to yank the crystal out of Princess Diamond's grasp. There was no time to think things out, Nephrite would have teleported away the second he had that crystal.

Neither Princess Diamond or Nephrite was expecting such a move, and Jedite was able to claim the crystal easily.

"How dare you ruin my plans!" Nephrite shouted and rushed Jedite to get the crystal back. Nephrite's collison knocked Jedite backward, and both men topped over the railing.

"Oh no!" Jedite heard Serena shout as he fell. Just before he hit the bushes.

* * *

Nephrite had dealt with that meddler Jed Hanson far too much for his liking. He wasn't as powerful as Nephrite was, but when coupled with the Sailor Scouts, the group together made for quite the bothersome foes.

But now, with Jed alone, Nephrite should be able to handle him. Nephrite had teleported to the ground before impact, so Jed hit the bushes alone. The man unsteadily got to his feet. A fall from that height should have debilitated a human far more than it seemed to affect Jed, who was unsteadily getting to his feet.

"You will not win, Nephrite." Jed spat out. Nephrite laughed, and prepared himself to fight. Nephrite locked eyes with the man.

"Bold words. It'll make a good epitaph!" Nephrite began to use his Starlight Attack, but he paused. He had locked eyes with Jed's eyes, but now he looked at the man's cheek. There was a small cut, sustained from the fall, most likely. Normally, it wouldn't bother Nephrite at all, such a thing was expected. But this cut did not bleed a human's red. It was a dark green color, the color of Nephrite's own blood.

Nephrite then looked at Jed's hands. Wisps of the same green blood, probably from cuts on his arms, pooled on his hands.

And then things started to make sense. Jed was an oddity among the people of Earth: He had a dark energy which normal people did not have, but most importantly, he could detect the dark energy within Nephrite. He had missed the opportunity for surprise attacks many a time thanks to this man. And then, there was the traitor Beryl spoke of, the one who leaked the secrets of youma. Not to mention that display of telekinesis just now.

It all made sense now. There was only one person who was unaccounted for that could have the ability to sense energy and know enough about youma to deal with them. Or at least, it was merely thought he was accounted for.

"I never thought I'd see you again. It's funny where the stars lead our path. I always wondered who you were, and now I do, Jed Hanson. Or should I call you by your real name, Jedite?"


	33. Traitors

Jedite's face paled as Nephrite delivered his real name. This was no random guess on his part. While emotional, Nephrite was not dumb, by any stretch. Inefficient with his ideas, but not dumb.

"No wonder you were able to interfere in such a way. Only a general could have forced a youma from hibernation. I'm truly surprised to see you."

"Disappointed?"

"In your survival? I truly don't have an opinion. After the Scouts survived, I questioned whether or not you met your fate. Just in this. You've betrayed Queen Beryl!" Nephrite accused.

"Beryl betrayed me first!" Jedite returned angrily. It was rare that he became as angry as he was.

"You honestly expect me to believe our Queen betrayed her own mission?"

"Queen Beryl sent Malachite to assassinate me when I was fighting Sailor Moon." Jedite explained.

"A preposterous story! Queen Beryl would desire an interloper destroyed over your failure."

"What reason do I have to lie at this point?" Jedite dared.

Nephrite's expression softened for a moment, as if he had realized something, but his rage immediately returned.

"I will not listen to the words of this traitor!" Nephrite returned. "Have you truly forgotten the pride of a Shitennou? We were the greatest of Beryl's generals, and by her side did we fight against the tyrannical Moon Kingdom. And now you've joined our greatest enemies?"

"I wasn't left much choice." Jedite quickly countered. "When you're betrayed, you tend to lose that luxury."

"A real warrior chooses death over dishonor."

"It is no dishonor to no longer follow the one who attempts your assassination. And do you think Beryl will be any kinder to you? I followed her more than anyone else, and you know it."

"I have nothing to discuss with a traitor! Starlight Attack!" Nephrite attacked Jedite, who quickly dodged. Jedite quickly retaliated with his own attacks, and the two traded blows for a minute.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars showed up in the nick of time, causing Nephrite to jump backward.

"How dare you think you can ruin this lovely party." Sailor Mars chided.

"We won't allow you to continue!" Sailor Mercury quickly returned.

"Urg." Nephrite grimaced. Jedite knew Nephrite's track record when fighting the lot of them, and wouldn't persist in the fight for very much longer. But Jedite kept himself wary: Nephrite was like a trapped beast, and even trapped beasts fought to the death if cornered.

* * *

From a window in a deserted room, Zoicite watched the battle rage below. He marveled at Nephrite's inability to handle two of the Sailor Scouts, and what appeared to be an overeager security guard.

Looking closer at the security guard was impossible due to the vantage point, but Zoicite was pretty sure it was the same one that interrupted him in the hallway earlier. The one who had blocked his petal attack.

Zoicite still found it unusual, but Earth was vast and full of people, and even Queen Beryl had mentioned, after the Sailor Scouts were believed to be dead, to be vigilant. The Sailor Scouts and that meddler Tuxedo Mask may have been the only meddlers who dealt with Jedite, but that didn't mean they weren't the only people who could interfere.

But still, Zoicite laughed. Nephrite was having trouble with a mere security guard? How did that man become second of Beryl's great generals.

Zoicite opened the window, and continued to look around. He knew that Nephrite had moved to take the Crystal before Zoicite could get to it, so it had to be around there somewhere.

Scanning quickly, Zoicite saw a case lying in the bushes. Was that it? Quickly, Zoicite used her telekinesis to will the crystal up to him. With the Sailor Scouts and Nephrite distracted by the battle, it was easy to obtain. Once he had it in his hands, Zoicite carefully opened the case.

The crystal inside was big, and very shiny. It appeared to be some sort of statue. But as Zoicite concentrated in order to sense it's energy, he found it to be blank. Nothing. No energy at all from this glittery statue. The battle on the ground gave off more power.

"_It's worthless!" _Zoicite screamed internally, throwing the statue across the room. This entire night was a total bust.

Queen Beryl had said that, if the statue was a bust, she trusted Nephrite and Zoicite to make sure the night wasn't a complete waste of time. Nephrite was outside dealing with the Sailor Scouts, and Zoicite had already thought of the words to criticize him to make him look weak in front of Beryl. Now what could Zoicite himself bring to look good for his Queen.

Energy? There was still a party upstairs with lots of people, but their energy was unfocused, and would be weak. Queen Beryl would barely notice it. Even when Jedite gathered enemies from hordes of people, he would focus them with some sort of task. The Princess, Diamond, might have had more focus, but she could be anywhere in this mansion now.

Zoicite decided to bank on Nephrite's failure and her testing of the crystal. Losing to a security guard would direct Beryl's wrath, and Zoicite would be spared.

* * *

Sailor Mars was ready to attack. Jedite appeared to be locked in combat with Nephrite, and the former appeared to be slightly worse for wear. Nephrite was surrounded.

"Enemies and traitors, side by side." Nephrite noted.

"The only traitor is no one here." Jedite returned. Mars's eyes widened when she heard the two speak. There was only one explanation for that: Nephrite knew who Jedite was. That could be really bad for him. Would they go after him in force?

"We'll meet again!" Nephrite shouted, and then teleported from view. Once they were alone, Jedite sighed in relief.

"You alright?" Sailor Mars asked.

"I'm fine." Jedite wiped his cheek, where he had sustained a cut. "I think we'll have more problems down the road."

"He found you out, didn't he?" Mercury asked.

"Yes. I'm not sure what it means, but we're going to have to be on our guard more than ever. I think I'll have to keep my work-disguise on full time, at least for a while."

"Amy, do you have a bandage for Jedite's face?" Mars asked.

"I might have one in my purse." Mercury de-transformed, and then rummaged in her purse as Mars de-transformed. She found one, and quickly applied it to Jedite's face. Now no one would know he was anything but human.

"Thanks." He replied. "Where's the crystal?"

"I don't sense any powerful energy nearby." Raye noted.

"I don't either. Nephrite and Zoicite must be long gone."

"Who?"

"Another of the generals. We can discuss him later."

"What's going on out there!" A voice called, Mars turned around to see more security guards coming around to the house.

"There was a mysterious man." Jedite quickly assumed the role of security guard. "I think he was part of the group looking to steal the crystal. We chased him off."

"I see." The guard seemed to relax a bit, probably since he believed Jedite to be a guard.

"And these women?" The man asked.

"They're guests. They saw him run off this way, and gave chase, against my orders. You should be getting back to the party now, ladies. Thank you for your assistance." Jedite covered expertly.

"M-my pleasure." Amy acted to keep the charade. Raye only nodded.

"You drove off that man?" Another man in the crowd, a bald man with a mustache, came over to Jedite.

"Yes, sir. Your daughter was up on the balcony, last I saw. There was another guest with her. She was all right, so I went after this mysterious man."

"My daughter is well? Good." The man sighed. "Take the evening off. Consider yourself a guest, and enjoy the party."

"Thank you, sir." Jedite bowed his head. "Ladies, if you will follow me." Jedite spoke to the women, and took the ladies to the ballroom. Raye was taken aback by the splendor.

"You are a talented actor." Raye noted. "I was almost worried I'd have to make a run for it."

"It's more about staying calm and committing than anything else." Jedite noted. "It looks like the party is getting back to normal. Would you...would you care for the next dance, Raye?"

"W-what!" Raye blushed.

"That is what people do here. We wouldn't want to look odd."

"Oh, I-I know. It's just, I'm not really a good dancer. I'd just step on your feet."

"Oh. Alright. Amy, would you?"

"Sure." Amy smiled. "I love to dance." She and Jedite walked out onto the floor, and Raye sat back and watched for a minute.

"Hey, Raye, you got in after all!" Serena's voice sounded from the side, and Serena, a glass of something in her hand, came over to Raye. Her face was flushed, and Raye was willing to believe that glass had champagne in it, and Serena, glutton to the extreme, didn't even notice.

"We're all here, and they're looking for the crystal as we speak. I don't think the crystal is what we're looking for, though, I don't sense any energy here at all, and haven't since we've been here."

"Aww, well, another day!" Serena laughed drunkenly, and Raye decided to ignore her, focusing on Jedite and Amy dancing. Amy was a graceful dancer, but it was Jedite Raye couldn't take her eyes off of. He knew it well, and he moved beautifully across the floor.

And Raye found herself jealous of Amy, against her own will.

* * *

"So." Queen Beryl addressed her servants in front of her throne. There was much to tell, Nephrite noted, but by her expression, she wasn't in the mood for it.

"The crystal was nothing, Majesty." Zoicite noted. "It was just jewels."

"I see. I suspected so." Beryl's voice was level for the moment. "I doubt the real Moon Princess would advertise her princess. In the future, we'll keep that in mind. Now, tell me what happened at the party."

"The Sailor Scouts did appear. I didn't see Sailor Moon or Tuxedo Mask, but Sailor Mercury and Mars did appear." Nephrite answered.

"I see. And I presume they are destroyed?"

"I saw the battle." Zoicite noted. "Not much of one. Nephrite was beaten by two Sailor Scouts and a security guard."

"A security guard?" Beryl questioned.

"That was..." Nephrite began to speak, to tell his queen that the security guard in question was actually Jedite, thought to be dead. But before he could speak, Beryl rose her voice.

"And you saw this battle and did nothing, Zoicite!" Beryl was furious, but her fury was not directed at Nephrite.

"I was checking on the crystal, Majesty." Zoicite countered.

"A crystal will keep for a few minutes." Beryl returned. "I placed you two together to prevent this sort of problem!"

Zoicite was trembling in his boots, and Nephrite couldn't help but laugh. Witnessing the battle and attempting to sell out Nephrite was an action that fit Zoicite to a T, and Beryl saw right through it.

"Do not think you are off the hook, Nephrite." Beryl returned to Nephrite. She was angry, but her voice was calmer.

"M-Majesty, I can..."

"I will hear no excuses! Your failures remind me far too much of Jedite, and death was his reward. I expected better, Nephrite. From both of you." And Nephrite hesitated. Queen Beryl may have had less patience due to constantly putting up with Jedite's failures, but she had thought highly of him. And her tune changed quickly.

Those Sailor Scouts were tough. Even with battles where Jedite wasn't participating, those three girls were difficult opponents. At first, Nephrite thought it was merely because Jedite was a weakling, but after he dealt with them himself, they were formidable opponents.

"Zoicite! Nephrite! I want you both to search for the Silver Crystal. Use whatever resources are at your disposal. And if I hear about another battle that ends in failure due to your infighting, I will not look favorably upon it. I can exact Forever Sleep on anyone I choose, and never forget that."

Zoicite, in fear, teleported away, Nephrite remained a moment.

"Was there something else?" Beryl asked. Nephrite paused. He had no idea whether he should mention to his queen about Jedite now. She did not care for excuses, and Jedite would be merely enough. Beryl would call him the failure and weakling, and mention that Nephrite, being second of the Shitennou to Jedite's least, should have had no trouble dealing with him.

And there was something about it that interested him. Jedite had stated that Beryl betrayed him first. At first, Nephrite considered it preposterous. But then he remembered, when Jedite was said to be slain, that it was Malachite who had delivered the news to Beryl. He would only have known about it if he was there, and he would have only been there if ordered by Beryl.

"No, Majesty." Nephrite bowed. "I shall depart." Nephrite teleported to his cathedral.

"Stars." He bowed, and consulted the stars. "Tell me of whom I should be worried. Who is the real traitor?"


	34. Celebrating Actors

"Congratulations, Jed!" Darien patted his new buddy on the back.

"Thank you." Jed reacted to praise in such a strange fashion, but Darien ultimately let it be. What a night this was going to be. The premiere of _Precinct 52_, the show Jed acted in, was tonight. The previews and commercials were already returning promising reviews from the newspaper and the critics, but there was nothing like the first review.

Darien would have liked to have a party. This was a pretty major event in Jed's life, and having a bunch of friends around would probably really cheer him up, Jed had already told him the actors were having their own premiere party, as they did every season.

Still, Darien felt like celebrating with his new friend, and, once Andrew was off of work, the three of them went for coffee.

"Rita's psyched about seeing it." Andrew noted. "She reminded me twice today to tape it for her. She loves _Precinct 52." _Andrew smiled.

"I will have to meet Rita one of these days." Jed laughed.

"Well, maybe when the bug research doesn't get as hectic. How she can like bugs like that, fossils of bugs, is beyond me." Andrew wondered.

"She says the same thing about us." Darien chuckled. "It's creepy how Andrew can look at someone's intestines without getting sick holding a scalpel in his hands." Jed laughed.

"Wow."

"Well, after the show airs, Jed, you'll probably get tons of girls launching themselves at you with catapults." Darien teased.

"Maybe." Jed shrugged. "I'm really very good at forming relationships."

"Ah, neither am I." Darien replied. "Hey, I'm curious, Jed. You've been living at the temple for a while now. Are you thinking of getting your own place?'

"Well, I've never bought an apartment before."

"You rent them." Darien corrected. "I'm just saying because there's a vacancy in my building, and I'd rather it be a friend of mine then some snot-nose with loud music."

"Doesn't that make him feel special." Andrew teased.

"I've never handled that before." Jed echoed. "And I've still got a lot more work to do with the series. Besides, life at the temple is pretty peaceful, and really helps me relax. A lot goes on, need to relax sometimes.

"Well, I suppose. Let me know if you reconsider." Darien drank his coffee.

"I should be getting back. I need to get changed before I head to the premiere. Hopefully, everyone likes it, and I can have a job for a while. Having nothing to do when I came here was driving me insane."

"Hey, no problem, thanks for coming out. Next time, let the gate guard know we're okay so we can sneak in the studio and see you in action." Darien laughed. Jed laughed before heading out the coffee shop.

* * *

The stars gave Nephrite no advice on who to trust in this confusing manner. Beryl was his liege, but Jedite made an incredibly valid point, and Nephrite was certain that Beryl had somehow orchestrated the assassination attempt on Jedite's life.

What did that leave Nephrite, however? Beryl was losing patience with him, and she had now assigned Nephrite a task he knew little of. Of the crystal itself, he knew plenty, but finding it was going to be a difficult task indeed. Where did it go after the demise of the Moon Kingdom? It had been such a long time between now and then. He needed some sort of guide.

When the stars and planets aligned in a certain position, their energy would peak, and he could create a tool to help him find such a powerful energy source. But he could only do that when the Sun, Jupiter, and Mars were in proper alignment, and that wouldn't happen until two days from now.

And then his thoughts went back to Jedite. It still threw Nephrite for a loop how that man, normally so calmed and collected, could join up with their enemies. It was one thing to no longer follow Beryl when he had been betrayed, it was another to actively work against her. Was it revenge? A sense of self-preservation? Either way, it showed an initiative Beryl would have never allowed. And Jedite had grown in power since Nephrite saw him last. While Nephrite was still the superior in single combat, Jedite's strength had grown to where he could surpass Zoicite if the two were pitted against each other.

Nephrite began to wonder if the Negaverse was really the side to stick on after all, considering how Beryl was quick to turn on three of her four generals, and who knew how quickly she'd turn against Malachite, if she hadn't already.

"_I'm getting soft." _Nephrite chided himself. Was it getting soft, or was it self-realization. Either way, searching for the Silver Crystal at this point, without some sort of guide, would be a waste of energy. Finding Jedite, or Jed Hanson, as he went by, would be easier until the stars were ready.

But, just as Nephrite could sense Jedite's energy, Jedite could sense his. There would be no way that Nephrite himself could seek Jedite without being discovered.

But others could. And Nephrite knew just who to speak to.

* * *

"Hey, Jed! Good to see ya!" Director Abernathy welcomed Jed into the party.

"Good to see you, boss." Jedite knew he wasn't the best around people, but Darien and Serena both had encouraged him to give it a shot. And thus, this premiere party.

"So nice to see you." Saffron smiled at Jedite, and he smiled back. This wasn't all that bad, living here on Earth. Living as a human wasn't chafing him, provided he wasn't engaged in battle, and parts of it almost seemed comfortable. He still couldn't put his finger on what, exactly, it was. But for now, he was content with it as it was. He had almost forgotten Nephrite knew his real identity.

The disguise of Harvey Sigurd had to be helping, but Jedite knew soon he'd be thrust into battle. He needed to recover while he could, train like a madman. He would be ready for this storm.

But he worried for Raye, and her grandpa. If they found him living at the temple, those two would come under fire. Raye was Sailor Mars, and could fight, but the old man couldn't flirt his way away from Queen Beryl.

"So, Jed. Your first premiere. Are you nervous?" Saffron asked.

"It takes a lot to get me nervous. Not that I lack appreciation for what you're trying to say." Jedite returned.

"Hush up, it's starting." Director Abernathy turned on the large TV, set the volume just as the opening credits started on. There were smiles, pats on the back, and the like as names of the actors scrolled across the screen and with pictures of their face.

"And introducing Harvey Sigurd as Lt. Derek Flannigan." The director patted Jedite on the back. Perhaps he had started drinking early. Everyone else congratulated him, and Jedite responded politely.

He saw his face on the screen, and the words which introduced him. Harvey Sigurd was the actor, although that was just for stage presence, the real name was Jed Hanson.

Jed Hanson, a normal human to everyone around him. The more he watched the television, and saw himself acting. Talent-wise, Jedite was fine. The whole cast was great, and, were he still working for Beryl, he'd be using this show in a heartbeat to gather energy. He could already think of three separate ideas for gathering it.

Despite being surrounded by all these people, who thought they knew him, saw a handsome guy, someone they could call friend. They knew an actor, an actor with layers of deception.

Jedite forced his smile as best he could, but after the show was over, he had to call it a night. According to the director, the name Harvey Sigurd would be known and loved all over Japan.

So which part of that love was Jedite's?


	35. Fly at the Spider's Parlor

OSA-P was quite well-known to Nephrite. It was here where Jedite made his first attempt to gather energy from the people of Earth. And it was the first place where Sailor Moon had stood to oppose him.

Nephrite did not believe that Jedite would be here, but someone else would be. He could sense Molly's powerful energy in the living space above, and the woman standing behind the counter looked to be the mother of Molly: There was quite the similarity in appearance.

"Good afternoon." Nephrite stated pleasantly as he entered the store.

"Good day." Molly's mother replied. "May I help you with anything?"

"Yes, but first I want to say that I saw you at Princess Diamond's gala yesterday." Nephrite calmly delivered.

"Oh, you were a guest as well?" Molly's mother made conversation. "We have not been introduced Mister..."

"Stanton." Nephrite navigated through the small talk and banter. "And you are Mrs. Baker, yes?"

"It's Ms." Molly's mother replied. "Mister Baker is...well, not a story for a customer. What may I help you find?"

"Earrings." He replied. "I rather like mine, but they are rather old. Best they be saved for the days I need good luck, and I find something else."

"I can do that." The woman smiled. "Let's take a look." Molly's mother moved over to another part of the counter. As she and Nephrite were looking, the door of the shop opened. Nephrite turned to see Molly, in her school uniform, walking into the store.

"Molly." The mother greeted warmly. But her eyes were locked on Nephrite. He stifled a laugh. He was used to these human women staring at him: Jedite had commented once that the same thing happened to him. Such was the price of handsomeness.

"Good day, Molly. An absolute pleasure to see you again." Nephrite moved on to Molly.

"You've met my daughter?" Molly's mother asked.

"We seem to run into each other everywhere." Nephrite commented. "Such a small world. Is your friend Katie well?" Nephrite remembered that girl, his first target for energy. Molly associated with that girl very closely.

"Oh...she's...she's well." Molly was blushing profusely, and trying to hide it.

"Oh, look at that. I've embarrassed her." Nephrite laughed a bit. "Molly, are you going to Serena's today to review for your exam tomorrow?"

"Actually, Serena's gone with Amy to the Hikawa Shrine. She hangs out a lot there."

"Oh? Serena never seemed the pious type to me?"

"No, she's friends with the girl that lives there." Molly replied. "I'm just gonna drop off my schoolbag and meet the girls as Fruit Parlor Crown for a quick snack. Then I'll head back for some studying. That's okay, right, Mama?"

"Of course, sweetie." Molly's mom smiled. "Be back before dark."

"Y-yes. Excuse me, Mister Stanton." Molly bowed her head and headed to the back of the shop where the living quarters were.

"Oh, that daughter. I do apologize. Schoolgirls can be so nervous around men sometimes."

"I take no offense." Nephrite replied warmly. "I'm rather fond of those two silver studs. Can I come by tomorrow to purchase them?"

"Of course, I'll put them away for you."

"Thank you. Here we are." Nephrite pulled out a few banknotes. It was amazing how this little pieces of paper could do everything in the human world. They were of no use to Beryl, and minor youma often infiltrated the human world to gather resources such as these.

After Molly's mother boxed Nephrite's purchase, he headed outside. He waited until Molly, dressed in civilian clothes, came out of the shop.

"Molly!" He called to her. When she saw him again, the blushing returned.

"Oh, Mister Stanton..."

"You can just call me Maxfield." Nephrite smiled. "I wanted to thank you for dancing with me at the gala yesterday. It was truly the highlight of the evening." He smiled. Having implanted the girl with his shadow, Molly's memories of the night were probably a bit hazy, But he could still feel that powerful energy from her. That energy she said was love. It made her susceptible, and that made her a useful ally to use in the search for Jedite.

"I thought you were meeting your friends?"

"Oh, they won't mind if I'm late. They're used to Serena.." Molly smiled and giggled. "And you could join us if you wanted."

"No, I won't be able to. There's a task I need to complete."

"What is it?" Molly asked.

"I'm...I'm looking for someone." Nephrite commented.

"Looking for someone? Is that why you're in town?" Molly asked.

"It isn't the reason why I came here, but it's something that is important."

"Who is it?"

"I'm looking for a man named Jed Hanson."

"Did you say Jed Hanson? I know who that is!" Molly blurted out.

"_This is even easier than I thought." _Nephrite had to steady himself from falling over laughing. Molly knew where Jedite was hiding? And he needed only but to ask.

"You've...heard of him?"

"I've only met him once." Molly replied. "I don't know that much about him."

"That's for the best. Tell me, where did you see him?"

"I saw him at the shopping center. But you know who would know, Serena. She told me about him. She knows a lot more than me."

"Interesting. You'll have to introduce me to this Serena."

"Hey, I know where she is, I'll take you there, come on, we can go right now! Just promise me once you're finished, we can get parfaits!" Molly was so cheerful.

"Sure. Whatever you want." Nephrite remarked.

"Alright, come on, we still got a lot of daylight left." Molly began to drag Nephrite by the arm.

* * *

"So, Nephrite knows Jedite's identity?" Serena asked as the three girls were assembled at the temple.

"That's the implication." Amy affirmed.

"Jedite's been in his acting disguise ever since." Raye noted. "And I call him by his stage name, even when I think we're alone. But still, it's kind of unnerving."

"I can imagine." Serena replied. Jedite took great pains to keep himself hidden, being marked for death. Secrecy was his only weapon, and only that one youma learned who he was, before promptly being moon dusted.

"What's the plan?" Raye asked Amy.

"This is the best I can think of." Amy agreed. "Try to pretend as if nothing's going on. Jed's stage name is what is used at his job, and people around town will use that if his hair is darkened. We use it too, and no one will be the wiser. At least, as far as our civilian identities are concerned.

"Yeah." Raye agreed. "It's for the best, it really is."

"Where's Jedite, anyway?"

"He's at the premiere party for the TV show. I'm going over to Darien's apartment to watch it when it airs tonight." Raye smiled.

"I'm sure it will be great." Serena smiled.

"Now that we've discussed this important event, Serena, haven't you forgotten that we have an exam to study for tomorrow?" Amy picked up her purse.

"Oh, you had to remind me." Serena grumbled.

"I've got some chores to finish up before I head to Darien's. I'll see you girls tomorrow, okay?" Raye smiled, and Amy and Serena headed down the stairs. She got out her broom and began to sweep the leaves, but it wasn't long before she could hear someone coming up the steps. It sounded like two people.

Raye turned to face the steps, and nearly stopped in her tracks. She could feel a dark presence approaching.

"_Now?" _Raye wondered. With Serena and Amy gone? She reached her hand into her hakama, gripping the wand she could transform into Sailor Mars with.

The figures finally came up, and Raye's eyes bugged out of her sockets. It was a man and a woman. The woman was Serena's dorky, but funny, friend named Molly Baker. The man was Maxfield Stanton. Which was Nephrite.

Molly Baker had led the archenemy to her doorstep.


	36. Seekers

Raye had to force a smile when she saw Nephrite. For all intents and purposes, Nephrite should not know who she really was, and would think she was nothing more than a shrine maiden.

At present, Raye had no desire to change that opinion. Battling Nephrite alone would be unwise.

"Good day. Welcome to the Hikawa Shrine." Raye stated pleasantly, her stomach knotting as she attempted politeness.

"Hey, Raye, no need to be so formal. It's me, Serena's friend Molly." Molly was pleasant and cheerful

"I know, but still, we must greet all of our guests formally. What brings you here?" Raye asked.

"This is my friend, Maxfield Stanton." Molly introduced Nephrite, and the thought of shaking his hand made Raye's skin crawl. Fortunately, Nephrite did not offer it.

"And what brings Mister Stanton here?" Raye asked Molly, barely acknowledging Nephrite.

"I was looking for Serena, actually." Molly noticed, and Raye's blood nearly froze in her veins. Nephrite was looking for Serena? Did he know she was Sailor Moon?

"Why Serena? What on earth could Meatball Head do?"

"Well, actually..." Molly started.

"It's not important." Nephrite quickly returned. "But she knows someone I'm looking for."

"Who could Meatball Head know?" Raye tried to brush off.

"It's quite alright, do not trouble yourself." Nephrite replied.

"His name is Jed Hanson." Molly blurted, and Raye received even more goosebumps. So Nephrite was now actively looking for Jedite?

"I'm sorry." Raye replied.

"Wait, didn't Serena say he lived here?" Molly questioned.

"That was over a month ago, Molly." Raye sharply countered. "He's been gone for a long time. He stayed here a little while, and then he was gone." Raye replied expertly. Nephrite looked at her oddly, but said nothing.

"Aww." Molly seemed genuinely disappointed. "Maybe Serena knows."

"No, I doubt that too." Raye replied quickly. "I haven't seen him. I hope he's well, whereever he is."

"That's too bad." Molly sighed. "But at least I tried, Maxfield."

"Your help is appreciated, Molly. I'd best get you back home before your mother starts to worry." Nephrite laughed as he and Molly turned around. Raye watched silently as the two departed. Once they left, Raye felt as though she could finally breathe.

She dialled Amy on the communicator immediately.

"Amy! We have to have a Scout meeting right away! Nephrite came to the temple today."

"What!" Amy noted. "We'll be right over."

"Does this mean we don't have to study..." Raye heard Serena's voice before Amy cut off communication. Raye paced nervously back and forth. She had to think. Raye knew she had to figure this out.

* * *

"Oh, Maxfield, I'm so sorry." Molly noted with despair as they descended from the Hikawa Shrine. She really did think she would be able to help this dreamy man.

"That's all right, Molly. It was worth checking. out." Maxfield shrugged. "I'll keep looking somewhere else."

"Oh, let me help you!" Molly exclaimed.

"That's not necessary." Maxfield replied. "I can look for Jed on my own."

"Oh, please!" Molly pleaded. "There's no to do it all by yourself. I do remember Serena talking about him, maybe she did keep tabs on him and Raye just didn't know it. I'll ask her. When can I see you again?"

"Well, Molly, if you're that eager to help me, who am I to say no? I'll stop by tomorrow around this time. But do me a favor, don't let on to your friend I'm looking for Jed."

"Huh?" Molly was confused.

"Your friend might be in some deep trouble associating with Jed, but she might not be aware of it. Just find out if she's still friends with Jed, that's all. I'll handle the rest." Maxfield smiled at her, and Molly's legs quivered a bit. He was so dreamy and magical, and she was helping him. It was the start of any romance novel.

* * *

"Nephrite came here!" Jedite was depressed when he was at the premiere party, but he soon became surprised he was given some dreadful news once he returned home to the temple.

"I'm still surprised." Raye returned.

"And Molly's with him?" Serena seemed more concerned for Molly, not that Jedite blamed her. She was hanging around a dangerous man.

"I agree, this is unsettling. We need to come up with a plan." Amy quickly silenced the crowd.

"Yes. What are our options?" Raye asked.

"Serena, you can speak to Molly." Amy quickly remarked. "You know her the best."

"Well, I'll give it a shot. But that's scary." Serena grumbled.

"Queen Beryl will be a lot scarier if she wins." Jedite poitned out. "I should seek out Nephrite before he finds me."

"That's really dangerous." Raye quickly shot. "Don't do it!"

"It's a risk we have to take." Jedite replied. "Tonight, I'll see if I can pinpoint his energy. If I know where he is, we can raid the place."

"Not by yourself." Raye remarked. "We'll all go."

"Nephrite is formidable." Jedite returned. "Even I must acknowledge he's a powerful opponent. We have to use stealth."

"Aren't we a team?" Raye asked.

"Yeah." Serena acknowledged. "You may not be a Sailor Scout, but you're working with us and that's all the difference."

"Well..." Jedite found the idea foreign, although he understood it's application. Officially, the Shitennou were a team, but between Zoicite's backstabbing schemes and their mutual disdain of each other, that wasn't saying much.

"No attacks." Jedite returned. "Reconnaissance only. We might gain an important clue. Besides, if I'm seen, I can teleport away. You won't be able to match that."

"Alright." Raye acknowledged, somewhat begrudgingly. "But when you're ready to raid the place, promise it won't be alone. We'll fight together, and make sure Molly's not hurt, and you're safe."

"Al-alright. I can do that." Jedite replied, finding the idea of teamwork getting more and more comfortable. Under Beryl, he thought the idea deplorable, but thinking on it now, what he wouldn't have given to have a loyal and powerful ally like Raye by his side.

"Jedite. You're staring." Raye blushed. Jedite did as well, and quickly averted his gaze.

* * *

In his cathedral, Nephrite began to concentrate. That outing with Molly had been more fruitful than that silly girl believed. Molly heard that temple girl, Raye she was called, say that "Jed Hanson" hadn't been around for over a month. But Nephrite could sense wisps of residual energy, a dark energy, in the area around the temple. Jedite had been there recently, of that Nephrite knew.

So then the real question was why. Why did this temple girl lie like that. Out of ignorance? Possible, but not likely. She couldn't know who the two men were in reality, Jedite was too cautious and she'd never met Nephrite before. She'd have no reason to lie to a stranger about someone she knew nothing about.

So she had to know something. Perhaps she had made an agreement with Jedite believing him to be a normal man. It would be just like how Molly went along with Maxfield Stanton, rather than Nephrite.

For a moment, Nephrite paused. What would he do with Jedite once he was found? Turn him over to Beryl? There was no point to that, it wouldn't garner Beryl's favor at all, she probably didn't even know Jedite was alive. Kill him? He did interfere in Nephrite's plans, and was an ally of the Sailor Scouts. Such things deserved an ignoble death.

But that didn't interest Nephrite either. Jedite was forced to join the Scouts because of Beryl's disbelief and Malachite's incompetence. He was left to the Sailor Scouts. Choice flew out the window when one had nowhere to go.

And Jedite had survived in this world of humans, a total immersion, rather than the forays of Maxfield Stanton. Weak creatures though the humans were, they were great in number, and a trained Shitennou, not even Malachite, could fend off a horde of humans looking to kill him. That was intriguing. Nephrite's forays into the human world had gained him the contact of Molly, who could be eyes and ears when Nephrite was not around. Jedite could probably make many more, even find the crystal.

Odd though it was, it was odder still that Molly knew Jed's human identity at the drop of a hat, and yet she did.

It was an avenue worth pursuing, to see what Molly could come up with. And after she was done her search, he could harvest that powerful energy, which seemed to have gotten stronger since that party at Princess Diamond's. It was so strong that Nephrite had to restrain himself from harvesting it in public.

But that didn't hold much interest to Nephrite either. When Metallia awakened, the world would be destroyed, Molly along with it. And that revelation did not appeal to him. Queen Beryl would not allow Nephrite the prize of keeping her alive, Metallia wanted the world to be hers, which meant the old world needed to be gone in completion.

And Nephrite, to his surprise, didn't find himself wondering where the crystal was, or even where Jedite was anymore. He thought about Molly, not her powerful energy, or her potential usefulness as a contact, but as someone who intrigued him.

Tomorrow he said he would call on Molly. Perhaps he'd spend the day again looking for Jedite with her.


	37. Skipping Out

Jedite stood outside of the temple in the dead of night. Oftentimes, the old man would sit on the roof under the moonlight, but tonight, the old man went to bed early. Tonight would be a perfect night to try and find Nephrite's location.

Jedite shrugged for a moment, and his disguise faded. No longer hindering his energy, Jedite began to focus, and concentrated. He shut his eyes, clasped his hands together, blocking out the world around him.

All living beings were made of energy, and that energy could be sensed by practically anyone in the Negaverse: Beryl, the Shitennou, and most youma, for that matter. But to find a specific source of energy was not easy. Neither was searching for it over a large distance. Both required immense concentration and focus.

He felt the eddies and flows of energy all around him. He could feel Raye's immense energy next to him. Inside the temple, he could sense the old man. He focused more, and tried to expand to more of the city. With each growing inch of his search radius, he could feel more energy from other people. Normal people. They were all normal people. Where was Nephrite. Biting his lip, Jedite concentrated even harder.

* * *

Raye watched Jedite as he concentrated. He was quiet, his brow furrowed and wrinkled to intense concentration. Raye was amazed as she watched him. He was dedicated, that much was certain. When he was their foe, he was dedicated, but Raye dared to think, he was even more so dedicated on their side. He never fought them personally until that time at the airport, except one time Serena mentioned before Raye had joined the team, where Sailor Moon was only saved by Tuxedo Mask's intervention.

Now though, he had battled Nephrite on multiple occasions, and him working on the Scout team had helped Raye a lot more than she initially thought.

So why did Jedite want to do this part alone? She had heard Jedite and Nephrite banter that night at the party where Nephrite discovered Jedite's identity, and it was vitrolic, if polite. Jedite was definitely not a double agent, Raye believed. And Nephrite was very powerful.

Perhaps, as he said, being caught would allow him to teleport away if a crisis occurred. But that didn't make sense. If they went together, they could attack if a problem occurred, and they'd take out Nephrite. One less of Beryl's generals to deal with.

She'd have to ask him once he came out of this trance. As she started to think this, Jedite's eyes opened.

"I found him." He claimed silently, quickly donning the disguise of Harvey Sigurd. "There's a cathedral outside of town. It has a dark energy signature." Jedite tried to stand up, but immediately lost his balance, Raye quickly moving to catch him.

"Careful." She replied.

"Wow, that took a lot of energy." Jedite remarked. "I think I need some rest."

"Of-of course. Don't overexert yourself. And you better not think of teleporting to the cathedral the second my back is turned.

"I see." Jedite, using Raye to balance himself, managed to stand up.

"You have no need to worry about that." Jedite replied."I don't believe Nephrite to be there at the moment. I'll recover by tomorrow, I should be able to find him then."

"We should." Raye corrected. "You don't have to do this on your own."

"Reconnaissance is a job best suited for one person." Jedite replied. "Less chance of discovery that way. Information gathering ends when one is discovered." Raye was surprised at how reasonable Jedite's explanation was.

"So tomorrow or the day after, I'll head there. If I'm not mistaken, those two are looking for the Silver Crystal., that's what they were doing at that party."

"Couldn't you search for the Silver Crystal that same way?" Raye asked.

"Unfortunately. I wouldn't know what I am looking for." Jedite shrugged, and Raye, knowing that he was forcing himself to stay conscious for her benefit, silenced herself, and put Jedite to bed.

* * *

Early the next day, Molly was headed to school when she saw Maxfield Stanton standing near the school's entrance.

"Good morning, Molly." He replied politely, and she began to swoon a bit.

"Oh, Maxfield!" Molly blushed and smiled to see him again. She didn't expect to see him so soon.

"How is your search going?" Molly asked. She had some time before class started, she could talk to this dreamy man some more. And even if she was late, Serena managed to get through it without much trouble.

"I haven't had much luck. Did you speak to Serena?" Maxfield asked.

"No, I couldn't." Serena hadn't been home all day yesterday, no matter how many times Molly tried to see her.

"But she should be here any minute, she's always running late. We can ask her when she gets here. Is...is that what you'll be doing today?"

"It is, Molly." Maxfield smiled. "We'll wait for Serena a moment longer together." Maxfield smiled at her. Every time he flashed her those pearly whites, it made Molly smile so much. She wanted to speak to see that man.

"Do you...do you think I can help you?" Molly offered.

"Jed is a very dangerous man, Molly." Maxfield replied.

"Oh, but I know you'll keep me safe."

"I appreciate it, but asking your friend Serena is enough for me." The two waited in silence for a moment.

"Perhaps Serena is already inside." Maxfield remarked.

"That can't be, she's never on time." Molly laughed.

"She sounds unreliable."

"Yeah, she can be." Molly laughed again. "But she's always been there when I needed her, she never turns her back on anyone."

"You should get to class, Molly. I'll see you next time." Maxfield waved, and turned around and started to walk away. Molly twitched with excitement, and wondered if she should skip class today and follow him. Class would go on without her for one day, and she could get notes from Melvin or one of the girls. It wasn't everyday a guy like Maxfield Stanton talked to a girl like her.

"Maxfield, wait up!" Molly called and chased him down.

* * *

"I'm gonna be so late!" Serena screamed in a panic as she nearly barrelled her way towards the school. Ms. Haruna was going to be furious.

Not watching where she was going, it didn't take long for Serena to crash into a person in front of her.

"Ouch!" A man's voice called out, as Serena picked herself up. Noticing the prone guy get to his feet, she was shocked to see it was Darien.

"Watch it, Meatball Head!" Darien dusted himself off. "You're like a public safety hazard."

"I don't have time for you, Darien." Serena growled. "I'm going to be late for school."

"Try waking up earlier, you won't collide into as many people." Darien criticized. "It might also help your grades. Got anymore 30's on tests lately?" Darien taunted.

"Ugh. How Raye and Jed can be friend with you is truly mind-boggling."

"How Raye and Jed put up with you is even more terrifying." Darien reversed. "Catch you later, Meatball Head, try not to be late!" He laughed and walked off down the street.

"How people like that can even be allowed in public." Serena growled. She picked up her schoolbag and was prepared to head off to school, but as she looked down the street, she saw a sight she couldn't have imagined. Across the street, walking in the other direction, was Molly. She was heading away from school. And she was walking with Maxfield Stanton. Nephrite.

Serena's hands balled into fists. She had already heard from Raye how the two came to the temple together. Nephrite was looking for Jedite. Raye drove Nephrite off, but it seemed Nephrite wasn't finished with Molly.

Serena had to put a stop to this. Molly was in danger while she was around Nephrite. Looking both ways, she crossed the street ahead of him.

"Serena?" Molly seemed confused to see her. "What are you doing here? You're gonna be late for school."

"So would you, Molly." Serena returned. "And what do you think you're doing, Mister. Don't you know she has to go to school." She chided Nephrite.

"Serena, I decided to do this, he didn't ask me." Molly corrected.

"What? But you can't do that, Molly!" Serena replied.

"It'll be fine. Wait, you're finally here, I need to ask you something. Do you remember that friend of yours you told me about, Jed Hanson?"

"Why?"

"Because Maxfield's looking for him. Have you seen him recently?"

"Errr...nope, not at all! Not for a long time now. Come on, Molly, we need to get to school." Serena gently grabbed Molly's arm, but she pushed her away.

"No, today will be fine. If you let me look at your notes, I'll get you some ice cream." Molly enticed. Normally, Serena would have jumped at such an idea. Free ice cream was free ice cream. But not when Nephrite was around.

"Come on, Moll, this is big!"

"Serena, we're good. Thanks." And Molly, walking with Nephrite walked away. Serena wanted to call out, to scream. Something. But she wasn't sure what to do. Serena no longer cared that she was late for school now, she couldn't spend time in school now, knowing Molly was two steps away from a crazy maniac.

Amy and Raye were in school, Jedite was at work. But she could tail them on her own. She'd done it with Raye and Darien. And once Molly was alone, she would try to get her away from that man.


	38. The Best Laid Plans

Serena tried to be stealthy as she followed Nephrite and Molly, but she knew she had to be cautious. Serena had difficulty enough dealing with Jedite when he was a foe, and Nephrite was supposedly even more powerful. And, of course, if it came to battle, Molly could get hurt in the crossfire. Serena couldn't have that: Sailor Moon would not hurt a friend, accident or no.

Nephrite and Molly were walking fairly closely, but they weren't talking. It would have been hard to make out if the two were talking thanks to the clutter of busy people going to and fro, but Serena found that odd. What was Nephrite after? Was he still looking for Jedite? Why involve Molly for that?

The two made their way to the park, where they sat on a bench. Serena hid in order to eavesdrop.

"I'm sorry, Maxfield. It looks like Serena didn't know."

"Actually, I think she does know something." Maxfield replied. Serena's blood ran cold in her veins.

"But Serena...she wouldn't lie if she thought it was important."

"That's just it, Molly, your friend doesn't understand the danger she's in. She thinks it's harmless so she doesn't pay it much mind. Jed's a dangerous guy, and I shudder to think what could happen." Maxfield was speaking in a way that was putting Molly under a literal spell, and Serena had to resist the effort to put a stop to it. Nephrite was a smooth talker, and getting into an argument with him was iffy. She needed to wait until Molly was alone.

"So how did you know Jed?" Molly asked.

"The less you know, the better." Nephrite returned.

"There has to be some way I can help you." Molly pleaded. "If Serena's involved, I have to make sure she's all right, and I want to help you two, Maxfield."

"Molly, it's really not necessary."

"But if Serena knows something...then I'll grill her. Really put her to the coals. I'll find out for you, Maxfield, just you wait."

Nephrite looked surprised at Molly's statement, as if he wasn't expecting her to go that far.

"Well...well all right, Molly. Just be careful."

"Leave it to me. Serena's gotta know something, and maybe Sammy's heard her talking on the phone or something. Just let me handle it, Maxfield. I promise I can help!" Molly stood up and skipped off eagerly, and Serena watched Nephrite stare in amazement behind her. And then, Nephrite stood up and walked in the other direction.

Serena wasn't sure who to tail next. Tailing Nephrite was dangerous, but tailing Molly meant Serena would have to confront her on what a villain "Maxfield Stanton" really was. That meant telling her she was working for the bad guy, and it meant she needed to believe it. Molly was as stubborn as she was nice, and it was hard to make her listen to anything.

But Serena decided to tail Molly. It was scarier than Nephrite, but she had more of a chance to succeed.

* * *

"That last victim." Detective Derek Flannigan sipped an overpriced coffee as he looked around the destitute apartment.

"Adrian Cruz? He was found here." Elle Taylor replied.

"This was his apartment. Just like the other victims. No forced entry, no signs of a struggle. The killer got close enough to stab him, no resistance."

"Yes, and it fits. Adrian Cruz was single, lived alone, male. Seemed to like booze." Elle commented. Derek was looking at the kitchen table.

"There's no ashtray." Derek replied.

"According to the autopsy, the victim didn't smoke." Elle shrugged.

"But the woman who found the body said she smelt cigarette smoke, and there was a lighter in his pocket." Derek replied. "Who carries a lighter around when they don't smoke?"

"To light someone else's cigarette?" Elle commented. Derek paused.

"That's it!" Derek exclaimed.

"What?"

"This guy was on the run, wouldn't let anyone in his house, yet someone kills him without a fight. Which means they had to get close and he wouldn't care. When does a guy let someone get close to him?"

"When he thinks it's going someplace. With a girl." Elle quickly caught on.

"All our victims were killed on weekends, in their homes. Perfect night for a girl to go out clubbing." Derek remarked.

"So our victim is a periodic bar-hopper, goes out on the weekends."

"She goes alone, to attract suitors. A man thinks easy pickings when a girl is alone at a bar. She chats them up, he brings her home, and it's kill time."

"But there's no lipstick residue on the men's mouths. What girl doesn't wear lipstick when she goes out to the club?" Elle wondered.

"Our killer." Derek remarked quickly.

"I like the way you think, Derek...Detective Flannigan." Elle quickly retracted and blushed. Derek put on a confident smile, before striding up to Elle.

"I bet you do." Derek and Elle were face-to-face as he spoke.

* * *

"And...CUT!" The director's voice sounded.

"Wow, what a scene!" Saffron, playing Elle, shivered with excitement.

"Great work, everyone!" Director Abernathy praised. "Great energy."

Jedite laughed as he said that comment. There was great energy here, Jedite could feel it: From Saffron, from the crew, even from himself. He had really gotten into that scene.

"Keep it coming, Jed." Director Abernathy praised.

"Hey, guys! Newspaper reviews!" One of the interns, now that the filming was over, brought over a folded newspaper.

"Turn it quickly, and read it out loud!" Director Abernathy praised.

"Proving that the third time is the charm, _Precinct 52 _opens it's third season with it's strongest opener yet. Having unsuccessfully tracked a serial murderer plaguing the streets of Tokyo, Season Three continues the search, bringing in newcomer Harvey Sigurd as Detective Derek Flannigan, a hard-boiled detective from Shikoku. Sigurd plays off lead character Elle Taylor like a home-run derby, delivering a performance commendable of men ten years in the industry or more."

"All right, Jed!" Saffron cheered.

"Elle seems to have matured quite a bit since Season 2, and is already taking a more active role working with Flannigan, which can only prove to cause more trouble down the line, which means more drama. Between Saffron's always-solid acting and the newcomer, who's already generated the nickname "The Shikoku Storm", _Precinct 52 _looks like it's sticking around for years to come. Bring us more of that detective drama which never goes out of style. Or that dreamy Harvey Sigurd soaking wet."

Everyone erupted into laughter.

"Looks like we knocked it out of the park with you. Where'd you learn to act like that?" Director Abernathy asked.

"I was...well, it's complicated." Jedite remarked.

"Usually is, but no matter. You keep the good reviews coming, and the viewers coming back, you could be a crazy alien." Everyone laughed again.

"Well, we're all finished filming today." Director Abernathy replied. "Let's get out of this seedy set and into some martinis. Jed, you coming?"

"Today I'll have to pass, I've made some plans tonight. Besides, I need to finish up chores at the temple."

"Temple?" Director Abernathy asked.

"That's...where I live. The Hikawa Shrine." Jedite replied. "It's a very long story."

"You...haven't found your own place?" Saffron asked.

"I've never had to look for one, so I'm not really sure how to do it. Besides, I...I eat well every night and have a roof over my head. That's...that's all I really need at this point." Jedite replied. Of course, staying at the shrine meant it was easier to discuss business regarding Queen Beryl. Being on top of things was key to making sure the evil witch did not succeed. But these guys couldn't know that.

"Hmmm..." The man started thinking.

"Come to think of it, my friend Darien mentioned there was a vacancy in his building. Hmmm, just yesterday or two days ago, I think."

"Really?" Abernathy asked. "Give me the landlord's number, and I'll take care of everything."

"Really?" Jedite was surprised.

"Of course. Jed, you're our star. People are gonna be attacking you in the streets. We gotta make sure you look fantastic in all ways. Trust me, I got a good team on this, we did it for Saffron, too. We'll take care of you, Jed. I promise."

Jedite looked at the smiling face of the director. The director had positively lit up, his energy peaked even more than the time Nephrite was attempting to harvest it. And Jedite could sense it rising when that intern read the positive review. The man was excited, this was his life, Jedite could tell.

And Harvey Sigurd's was Jedite's now. He was no longer a general of the Negaverse, the least of the Shitennou. He was a talented actor, whom the populace was just introduced, and starting to love.

He needed to accept that.

"Well, let me call Darien tonight, I'll...I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Serena had lost Molly in the bustle of the day, and now she was worried. It was starting to be time near the end of school. She could call Amy shortly. She needed to figure out what to do.

As she was walking down the street, she noticed a large van, emblazoned with the TV Ashita logo.

"_That's the same station Jedite works at." _Serena thought. Surely enough, emerging from the building near where the van was parked came Jedite himself, dressed in a brown suit, presumably his costume for the show.

She hurried over to meet him.

"Hey!" She called. Jedite turned around to look at her.

"Serena?" Jedite questioned. "I thought you were supposed to be in school." The two found a quiet place to talk.

"Well, umm...I kinda was. But...ummm...I skipped."

Jedite sighed.

"Even in the Negaverse people weren't this undisciplined, and we use assassins."

"But it was important! I saw Molly and Nephrite today."

"What!" Jedite claimed. "Again?"

"What could they be doing?"

"Looking for me." Jedite noted. "Molly has an advantage Nephrite doesn't. I could sense Nephrite's energy, so if he was pursuing me, I'd be aware of it. Molly, not so much. Human energy might vary in intensity, but it all looks the same."

"So...what are we gonna do, we have to stop them."

"As for Molly, that's something I can't do. But I know where Nephrite is hiding, or I have a good idea. At least. It seems we've just run out of time. I'm going to go there, tonight. I'll see what I can discover, see if there's any places we can set an ambush for him."

"That...sounds dangerous."

"We're dealing with a crazed woman bent on world destruction. When is it ever safe?"


	39. The Black Crystal

When night fell, Jedite prepared for action. Without even telling the Scouts, he teleported to where he had felt the evil energy.

It was far away from town, from the hubbub of the city, inside of an old cathedral. Long abandoned, it seemed foreboding even without the evil energy from Nephrite permeating through it.

But Jedite was not scared of such a thing. He quietly made his way through it. Nephrite had picked his location well: No one would bother him here.

This was merely a staging place for Nephrite, a place for him to consult the stars, as he often did. It was not really living space, although there were some tables and chairs outside, probably from the previous owners.

Jedite quieted himself, as he heard voices nearby. He crept silently towards them. In another room, he could hear high-pitched laughter.

"_It's Zoicite." _He thought. Jedite crept closer to the room to here to whom he was discussing.

"And such a fantastic failure at the party as well." Zoicite was waiting no time speaking in a derisive tone. He had no qualms speaking to his betters as if they were idiots.

"A failure wrought by your incompetence." It was Nephrite to whom Zoicite was speaking. Jedite crouched and peered into the room's main atrium, where the voices were coming from. Nephrite was standing on the ground, looking towards his left. Zoicite was somewhere not visible from Jedite's vantage point.

"You couldn't handle the Sailor Scouts and a measly security guard." Zoicite laughed.

"I seem to recall Queen Beryl chiding you for not discussing that...security guard." Nephrite noted. Jedite's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets as he listened. They were obviously speaking of the party with Princess Diamond, but Zoicite mentioned a security guard had worked with the Sailor Scouts. Not foul traitor, which surely would have been the words Zoicite would use to describe him. Did he not know? Was Zoicite in the dark of Jedite's real identity? And if he was in the dark, so too must have been Beryl, for Beryl would share such a fact with her subordinate. Knowledge was something Beryl freely gave if it would impact the mission. The knowledge that Jedite was, in fact, alive would be such a thing.

Jedite stared in wonderment at Nephrite. It would be instant death for him if Beryl found out he withheld such information from her. What was he planning?

Even when the Shitennou worked together, Nephrite was the general Jedite never understood. Zoicite was base and easy to predict. Malachite possessed little of his own initiative and merely followed Beryl's orders. Half the time, Jedite wondered whether Nephrite had his own agenda. Whether it was true back then or not, it definitely seemed so now.

"I am losing patience with this search for the Silver Crystal." Nephrite stared ahead.

"Such a shame the stars seemed to have failed you." Zoicite teased.

"I notice that your efforts haven't been met with much success." Nephrite replied emotionally. "Even Jedite was more of a succeess than you."

"Jedite's plans failed, just as yours have."

"Jedite brought energy to Queen Beryl, as did I. You are the one with nothing to show for your efforts." Nephrite was quick to rebuke Zoicite, who growled. There was silence, and Jedite could no longer feel Zoicite's presence. Nephrite kept his back faced to Jedite, and was silent for a moment longer.

Jedite wasn't certain what to do next. Nephrite's goal was finding the Silver Crystal, of which Jedite had no idea where to look. He wondered if he should wait a bit, see what Nephrite could turn up. It would certainly be better than flying blind.

Nephrite concentrated, and Jedite could see his stellar map flare in front of him. Jedite couldn't make any sense of it, and with Nephrite's back facing Jedite, he couldn't see what Nephrite was doing, either.

"The movement of the stars controls everything. It is time, the planets and stars have reached their proper alignment. Power of the stars, I entreat you, grant me the ability to search for the Silver Crystal." Nephrite solemnly intoned.

"_What's going on?" _Jedite wondered. After a moment of silence, Jedite heard something clatter to the ground in front of Nephrite.

"The Black Crystal has been created." Nephrite bent down to pick something off the ground, but Jedite couldn't make out what it was.

Nephrite cocked his head towards Jedite's hiding place, and Jedite quickly ducked from view. He heard Nephrite take a footstep towards him, and Jedite teleported quickly. He couldn't be drawn into a battle here.

"_Something to help him search for the Silver Crystal_?" Jedite wondered before he disappeared. That couldn't be good.

* * *

Nephrite knew that someone had spied on him while he created the Black Crystal, and he was certain the culprit was definitely Jedite. Zoicite would have never wasted the opportunity to mock him, and Malachite would not bother with such foolishness.

Nephrite no longer had an accurate read on that man: Whatever had changed Jedite from devoted, if incompetent, general to active enemy was great indeed, and the reason Nephrite stayed his tongue about Beryl's error presuming him dead.

While it may have been unfortunate, Nephrite knew that his mission took priority. Jedite had claimed that Beryl would turn on Nephrite as quickly as she did to him, but Nephrite believed that to be Jedite's assumption: There were only three in all the entire Negaverse with power greater than Nephrite, one of which being Beryl herself, another being Queen Metallia. Beryl could not afford the loss.

Now was the time to find the Silver Crystal. And the Black Crystal he had created would help him to do just that. It reacted to sources of powerful energy, even ones previously hidden and unknown, and such strong forces of energy were of use one way or another.

He looked at the crystal, and immediately, it glew a bright silver-blue. It displayed an image of that girl, Molly Baker. The one deadset on helping him find Jedite, or Jed Hanson, as she knew him.

"_Why does my path lead me back to her?" _Nephrite wondered. Everywhere he went, he seemed to come across this girl.

But the fact was, the crystal was displaying her. Nothing else. The mysteries of the Black Crystal were not known to him completely. Perhaps Molly was a stepping stone, the crystal showing the first step he must take. Or perhaps Molly did, in fact, possess the crystal.

Tomorrow was a weekend, Molly did not have school. There would be much to do. Nephrite blotted Jedite from his mind. Traitor or no, Nephrite did not want to incur Beryl's wrath anymore.

* * *

Molly had already thought of the perfect plan to ask Serena what she knew about Jed Hanson: She'd simply go ahead with her plan to treat Serena to ice cream. This was how it was done in all the private eye shows, a sort of bribe to loosen the tongue of an informant. And Serena's blab knob was at 10 when she had sweets in her hand.

"Thanks for covering for me." Molly praised Serena as she handed her best friend her cone.

"Ummm...sure. Listen Molly, you really shouldn't do that." Serena started.

"I know. Don't worry, I won't make it a habit." Molly promised. She wasn't going to skip school. Bad as she could be about it, it was important to her mother, and Molly knew it was important to attend.

"Hey, so enough about that." Molly waved her friend off.

"Promise me that was a one time thing." Serena said seriously. "Promise me you'll have nothing to do with Maxfield Stanton ever again."

"Only about not skipping school. I'm helping him out, and you should too. Are you sure you haven't heard from Jed Hanson recently?"

"Molly, Maxfield Stanton is bad news!" Serena delivered a bombshell, so much that it made Molly nearly drop her ice cream cone.

"What?" Molly was surprised.

"I mean it, Molly, that guy is horrible, and he's not out to help you. He's...he's with the guys that caused the airport explosion."

"Serena, you sound ridiculous." Molly exclaimed.

"I mean it, Molly. Jed nearly died in that explosion along with Sailor Moon."

"So you do know where Jed is." Molly reversed.

"Err...no! I...I learned this when he was still here." Serena quickly backpedaled.

"So, listen, Moll, I'm serious. Don't go near that guy ever again." Serena darted off without another word.

"_That can't be true." _Molly thought sadly. Maxfield was so sweet, so kind. Molly knew she was in love, she knew that magical feeling she had on the balcony at the party, a feeling she'd never felt from any man.

Serena had to be confused. She had spent time with Jed, after all, and Jed could tell any number of fibs.

Tomorrow there was no school. Molly knew she'd have to keep tabs on Serena that day. If Molly was discreet, Serena would lead her straight to Jed. And then, Molly could find Maxfield, and all would be as it should be. Jed would be taken care of, Maxfield would complete his task, and Molly could get the kiss as a reward. Just like a fairy tale. Perhaps the princess helped the knight slay the dragon in this one, but these were modern times.

Helping your knight in shining armor didn't make things less romantic.


	40. Finding Jed and Harvey

Serena was headed to the temple on Saturday morning, and Molly knew she had to be discreet when following her. Serena was oblivious to the extreme, but that didn't mean she was a total idiot.

The Hikawa Shrine was Serena's main hangout, along with Raye, the girl that worked there, and Amy, from school. The first time they had gone there was to buy good luck charms. While Raye was pleasant enough, she was extremely odd, at one point attaching an ofuda to Serena's face believing she was some sort of evil spirit.

Molly never went back, but Serena did, and never really explained why to Molly. It never bothered Molly before, so she never pushed the issue, but now was the time to be curious, and spy. Serena had mentioned Jed stayed at the Hikawa Shrine. There had to be clues there.

She crept up the stairs silently, trying not to make her footsteps heard. When she went up to the top of the steps, she saw only the strange old priest sweeping the grounds.

"Hello, young lady! My, you're certainly a beauty aren't you." The old man laughed. He said much the same thing when she came here the last time, asking her to become a shrine maiden. Molly played with him, telling him she was praying for a friend. The old man nodded, and directed her to the shrine before returning to his sweeping.

Molly did not see Serena anywhere, but she was certain she was here: She always came here today. Making sure she was out of eyeshot for the old man, she went around the temple, where he could not see her.

Molly walked around to the back, before she started to hear voices, voices from inside the temple. They were coming from a window, open slightly. Molly crouched nearby and stayed quiet, attempting to listen in.

She could hear Serena squealing about an incredible new purchase she made at the mall yesterday. Molly kept quiet, but she stifled a laugh.

"Serena, why can't you be serious for once in your life." Raye sharply criticized. That girl had a mouth on her and was not afraid to use it.

"So what did he find last night?" Amy's voice asked.

"He said he wasn't sure what Nephrite was plotting, but it was definitely his base of operations. Nephrite did...something, he said something about the Silver Crystal."

"We certainly can't let them have that." A voice Molly didn't recognize sounded next. Too bad she couldn't look into the window, or she'd know.

"_What were they talking about?" _Molly wondered.

"Whatever Nephrite's planning, Molly can't be a part of it." Serena's voice affirmed. Molly's eyes widened. What did that mean? Molly knew no one named Nephrite.

"Come on, we're going to be late." Molly heard Amy say.

"Let me get the window." Raye stated, and Molly quickly scampered off. She wasn't sure what it was that she heard. But it wasn't leading her to Jed. Now, Molly wondered, would she have to talk to Serena directed about this Nephrite?

"_First things first." _Molly thought. She needed to be able to find Jed.

* * *

There was a long day of filming today for _Precinct 52, _none of which involved Jedite, but Saffron encouraged him to attend. It showed commitment, and Jedite was an extra pair of hands to help out of things were needed.

"So you think our killer finds her victims at nightclubs?" The character of Detective Patrick Crawford asked.

"Yes. Not just clubs, special events. All of the victims died the days there were large crowds and events at nightclubs. Grand openings, promotions, and more." Elle Taylor replied.

"But those places must have hundreds of people, how could we pick which one. Even if we find her, evidence is lacking, we can't just arrest her."

"Can't we lure her. I mean, between you and Derek, you can..."

"She goes after victims who are alone, it would be very difficult if Derek and I posed as two friends out on the town. And if we go separately, it's going to be that much harder to coordinate. It's going to be very difficult to catch her."

"Difficult or not, we have to do it! This weekend, that new club _Typhoon _is opening and if we can't catch her eye, someone could die." Elle pleaded. "I notice...I noticed that the victims all wore green colored shirts. Maybe we can use that."

"Is...is that right?" Patrick went back to his notes.

"Well, I'll call Derek." Patrick admitted. "But you need to make sure you don't show up. This is going to be very dangerous, and it's no place for an unsworn intern. You've done a good job helping, but leave this to us."

"And cut!" Director Abernathy called. "All right. We'll resume on Monday for the montage scene of Derek and Patrick getting ready for the club at the studio, and Monday night is the big club scene. Practice your dance moves.

"Montage?" Jed wondered.

"Yeah, you getting dressed for the club." Saffron replied. "Just fast snippets of you changing your clothes. After all, it's what the reviewers want." She laughed. Jedite blushed a bit.

"It's weird, huh? Being seen as a sex symbol?" Saffron asked. "It was for me at first."

"I was often told I got where I was did because of my looks. They meant it as an insult." Jedite replied. Just insecure fools who thought themselves superior to a member of the Shitennou.

"And look at you now." Saffron encouraged, and it did make Jedite smile a bit. He had survived when he should have died, and managed to forge an alliance with an enemy even Queen Beryl had difficulty touching. And even this was success, in it's own way.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous." Jedite remarked. While he had no wounds that would showcase his green blood, Jedite's chest and back was covered in scars from the airport explosion. Such deep wounds did not heal perfectly.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm a little scarred up. I was in an explosion not too long ago. Do you remember what happened to the airport?"

"What?" Saffron was amazed.

"What's this?" Director Abernathy's voice came over to the two talking.

"Jed and I were just talking. It's his first, well, sexy scene in filming." Saffron explained

"Well, it's not a love scene, you won't have to worry about touching or anything." The director shrugged. "Wait for sweeps week."

"I just mean because I'm pretty beaten up."

"Let me see." Director Abernathy replied. Jedite was taken aback by the request, but lifted up his shirt.

"Wow. You weren't kiddin'." The director seemed nonplussed. He then started to think.

"I've thought of an even better scene. Hey, intern, call the scriptwriters and have them meet me back at the studio. I can't let this go." Director Abernathy barked an order.

"Pardon?" Jedite remarked.

"There must be a story behind those scars, right?"

"I was in an explosion."

"Perfect! There's a scene, right there. Man, real life is great for screenwriting. Instead of a montage, I can make a scene that explains why Derek is the rude, business-oriented person he is. An explosion occurred because he was distracted, and tried to be a nice guy. Now whenever he takes a shower, he sees his failure. Housewives go nuts over this stuff, I can smell the ratings! Oh, Jed, where have you been all my life!" Director Abernathy was pleased as he walked off.

"Don't mind him." Saffron replied. "But he makes good work. I'm sorry that you have to act like that."

"Don't...don't worry about it." Jedite noted. "I should head out, too." Jedite exited the studio. It was nighttime now, and Jedite walked glumly back towards the shrine. Those scars all over his body were a mark of failure. They didn't ache very much, but they served as a reminder, a reminder of when Queen Beryl, his liege, betrayed him so casually. It reminded him of the constant failures he had fighting the Sailor Scouts. And now it would be on display as eye candy and backstory.

It was hard not to feel glum about it. He looked at the moon, and sighed a bit.

As he continued walking, he saw a girl sitting on a park bench. She turned and look at him as she heard his approach.

"Oh, you, you're Harvey Sigurd!" The girl squealed. "Oh, I'm your biggest fan!"

"Thank you." Jedite smiled. The girl squealed again, and starting hyperventiliating. He resisted the urge to laugh. How could people be so foolish?

* * *

Jedite's work acting was taking up a lot of his time at the temple. While Raye was happy that he was out doing more things, it did mean she had to do most of the chores herself now.

It was starting to turn to night, so Raye was performing her last duties. Normally, this quiet calmed and relaxed her, but her mind kept going back to that silly friend of Serena's, Molly. That girl was in serious jeopardy around Nephrite, and she was completely unaware of it.

It was almost frightening to Raye, how subversive the Negaverse was. They could be positively anywhere. Even with her own senses of detecting evil presences, it was not as precise as she would have liked. Her first experience with it caused her to believe the evil presence was Serena.

Even worse than that, Raye knew that Molly was digging around, looking for information on Jedite to deliver to Nephrite. Molly had no evil essence inside her, Raye couldn't sense her anymore than she could sense a random pedestrian.

She pulled out her communicator to call Serena.

"Hidey-ho!" Serena appeared to have been in the middle of eating cake.

"_What a surprise." _Raye thought.

"Have you seen your friend Molly today?" Raye asked.

"No." Serena replied. "I went to the temple, then Amy and I went..."

"Nevermind." Raye cut off Serena's ramblings. "I'm not convinced that she thinks Jedite's long gone. We need to make sure she knows what a bad guy Nephrite is. Come to the temple tomorrow with Amy, we need to discuss this."

"What's to discuss, Molly's my friend, I know how she works."

"You're not convincing her to go out to the movies, Meatball Head. You're convincing her that the man she's crushing on is an alien bent on world destruction!" Raye chastised. "Come to the temple tomorrow."

"Fine." Serena shrugged. Raye put the communicator away, and then the bitter truth of this problem came into focus. Amy was a transfer student, and knew Molly only since she had been here, which was not long. Raye had met her a grand total of twice. She'd have to leave this to Serena, and that was terrifying. Anything left to Serena was terrifying.

* * *

From in the shadows of the temple, Molly watched Raye. She hadn't seen Jed or anyone matching the man she had seen so long ago come to the temple.

Perhaps he didn't live here anymore, but that Raye girl was acting so strangely. She had to know something, her reaction was...too odd. Odd like Serena when she tried to talk her way out of showing the homework she didn't do to Ms. Haruna. She knew something.

But she'd been here for nearly two hours, staking out for Maxfield Stanton. She had to have something to show him, she just had to.

Raye had pulled something out of the sleeve of her kimono and said some words into it, but Molly couldn't make any of them out. She finished speaking shortly and continued to work. And then, Molly heard footsteps coming up the stone steps to the temple. Expecting it to be Serena, or perhaps that old grandfather of Raye's, Molly was surprised to see it was a young man with dark hair.

Molly blinked again, and realized that the dark-haired man was Harvey Sigurd, the actor who played Detective Flannigan from _Precinct 52. _She absolutely loved that show, he was a great actor, and so hot. Not as hot as Maxfield Stanton, but hot enough.

And then she remembered what Jed Hanson had told her the one time she had ever seen him, that he had received a job doing that exact same thing. Did he not get the job? Molly replayed it in her mind.

"_That was TV Ashita's best, I love that show!" _She remembered herself saying. And Jed said he had obtained that role, that he was cast in it.

So who was Harvey Sigurd? And why was he here? There were a number of things Molly could think of. But only one came to the forefront.

Harvey and Jed were one in the same. If Jed was on the run from Maxfield Stanton, a fake name would be expected. And how cheap was hair dye? So Raye was fibbing after all.

Molly was so excited she nearly gave away her position. Now all she needed to do was find Maxfield.


	41. Battle's Precursor

Nephrite still found it odd that Molly was the figure that showed up in the Black Crystal, but once he got over the shock, he couldn't help but laugh. Molly had nearly bent over backwards in order to help him find Jedite, believed to be a mere criminal named Jed Hanson. She had an amazing energy for Queen Metallia, enough to give even Queen Beryl pause. Everything seemed to revolve around this girl.

He had to see her again. Alone. He could afford to simply speak openly about "Jed Hanson", since only Jedite and the Sailor Scouts would know of it. But if Zoicite caught wind of his plan for the Crystal, he'd move to interfere. Even Beryl's success mattered less to him than the thrill of victory over Nephrite, and advancing his position.

Discreet though he had to be, he could be quite direct with Molly. Provided he used the guise of Maxfield Stanton, he could get Molly to do anything he wanted.

And Nephrite concentrated, and his clothes changed yet again. His general's uniform changed to upscale, common civilian clothes. Clean ones, with the illusion of being nicely pressed.

He had to prepare. Molly had given him her telephone number. It was time to set a date.

* * *

"Hello, Serena!" Molly's mother greeted Serena very warmly as she knocked on the door

"Hello, Ms. Baker." Serena smiled. "Is Molly home?"

"Of course, she's just doing the dishes from breakfast. Go on up, I need to get the shop open." Molly's mother offered Serena admittance. Serena was through putting this off. Raye had called her last night and told her she needed to make things clear with Molly.

She had said to come to the temple, but Serena had talked it over with Luna last night and she was pretty sure she knew what to say.

"Oh, hi Serena!" Serena found Molly in the kitchen, finishing up with the dishes as her mother had said.

"Hey, Moll! You wanna go shopping today?" Serena asked, to break the ice.

"Nah, it's okay. Enjoy yourself. I've made plans!"

"Plans?" Serena asked.

"I received a call this morning. Oh, this evening I'm going out! I'm so excited I can't do anything else!" Molly was giggling, blushing, more excited than Serena that time she received three cakes for the price of one since the store was going out of business.

"Who?"

"Oh, it's magical!" Molly ignored Serena's question and stared dreamily as she dried the dishes with a rag.

"Don't keep me in suspense. Who is it?"

"My true love." Molly continued to be wistful.

"And who is your true love?" Serena asked, afraid of Molly's answer.

"Maxfield Stanton."

"Why are you on that guy anyway?" Serena asked.

"He's not your type, I get it." Molly replied. "It's okay, Andrew and that hottie Tuxedo Mask are all yours. I've found my prince."

"Prince?"

"Oh, it's wonderful. He's actually on a mission you know, and I'm helping!"

"Molly, that man is dangerous!" Serena blurted out.

"Dangerous? How can you say that?" Molly asked.

"He's a...a...bad man!" Serena noted, her thoughts fluttering out of her head. "You should stay far away from him!"

"What do you mean?"

"I know about him, he's evil, Molly, a really bad person!"

"Who said that?" Molly asked. Serena paused for a second. What sort of lie could she give? According to Raye, she was after Jedite, so saying his name wouldn't work.

"Sailor Moon did!" A flash of inspiration came to Serena. Who knew her alter ego could come in more handy than she thought.

"Sailor Moon?"

"She said he's an evil being out to destroy the world! Stay far away from him, Molly, stay far, far away!" Serena delivered.

"How can she say that!" Molly shouted. "He's not evil! He's a kind, good, nice man and I love him!" Upset, Molly ran from the house, much faster than Serena could run.

"Oh, I think I just blew it!"

* * *

"Where is Serena?" Raye, Amy, and Jedite were all seated on the front steps of the temple. Grandpa had gone out, leaving the temple empty for discussion. A discussion now sorely missing it's leader.

"She probably overslept again. Or got excited by a pair of shoes." Jedite commented cynically.

"_Wow, he cuts Meatball Head faster than me or Darien." _Raye thought.

"So Molly is working for Nephrite?" Amy clarified.

"She doesn't know who he is, would be my guess." Raye replied. "I strongly doubt that girl will listen to us no matter what we say."

"It probably would be easier if I laid low. I'm shooting a lot tomorrow, I can spend time at the set all day. That should prevent her from seeing me, at least." Jedite shrugged.

"Until we can figure out a way to get it through her skull." Amy agreed.

"Sometimes, that's the best kind of plan. So, Jedite, what is going on with the show."

"We're filming a club scene tomorrow night. The network doesn't want me to spoil it, but suffice it to say, it's a dance club seen involving me and the redheaded guy."

"Oh, that's nice. I think...I watch the show at Darien's, and we both agree you're the best on the show." Raye complimented.

"Well, thanks. The reviewers seemed to like it too. Well, I should probably head into town. I shouldn't stick around in case Molly shows up. I can blend into a crowd of people in the street much easier. Don't worry, I know how to waste a day looking incognito." Jedite headed off, down the temple steps. Raye waited for a moment.

"Raye?" Amy asked, Raye didn't even hear her at first.

"Raye!" Amy asked, more forcefully than before.

"W-what?" Raye asked.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine. Of course. Just...just a little worried. If Nephrite can think of this tactic, who knows what they'll try next." Raye came up with the most believable lie she could think of. Raye just hoped Amy would buy it. She wasn't going to admit she was more concerned for Jedite. Not for his safety, but for his mental stability. Working as an actor was normalizing Jedite, making him calmer and more at peace with the betrayal and everything that happened. If that was shattered, who knew how depressed that would make him. He'd suffered enough.

* * *

Jedite was able to wile away the day well. He was recognized plenty of times as Harvey Sigurd, but neither that silly Molly, Nephrite, or anyone else thought of him as any more than an actor.

Night would be the tricky part. Most folks weren't out, and Jedite's former allies preferred to strike at night. Folks were more unsuspecting, believing themselves safe. Jedite found the idea deplorable, as most people expelled their energy doing their day to day activities.

The day was winding down, and the sun beginning to set. He had already strolled around the commerce district a few times, and he wondered if that was weird. A man, all along, window shopping, couldn't be an average person.

"Hmmm..." Jedite thought as he passed a number of shops.

"Hey! Jed!" A voice called from behind him. Jedite nearly froze in his tracks. Who would know that name here? He was disguised as Harvey Sigurd.

He turned around to see Serena running up to him, completely out of breath.

"I'm trying to blend in." Jedite replied.

"Have you seen Molly?" Serena asked.

"If things went as they were supposed to, I shouldn't have." Jedite returned. "Where were you today?"

"Trying to convince Molly that Nephrite was a bad person, and that she should stick away from him. But she ran off and I've been looking for her all day!"

"You tried to speak to her?" Jedite asked. And failed miserably, it appeared to be. But Jedite kept that part to himself.

"I wonder where she could be?" Serena asked. "Molly's mother said she hadn't been home, and she said she had a date with him."

"That's odd. Why would he do that?" Jedite posed.

"Huh? Because he's looking for you."

"No, he really isn't. Yesterday, I spied on him in his lair. One of the other generals was there, and Nephrite did not divulge my identity to him, or anyone else." Jedite replied.

"What?" Serena was confused.

"I don't fully claim to understand it either, but only Nephrite knows I'm still alive. He wouldn't waste his time with Molly just to track me down, no one would even notice. It has to be something more related to Queen Beryl's mission. So he's either going for her energy, attempting to locate the Silver Crystal, or some directive that's changed since I left. My guess is the Crystal, if Nephrite and Zoicite both were at that party."

"But how could Molly have the Crystal?" Serena asked.

"I don't claim to understand it, but if he's making a move, we need to be there." Jedite replied. "We don't have any other leads at the moment."

"Yeah, but where can they be?" Serena wondered.

"Someplace easy to get to, where they wouldn't be found or bothered. A place where two people won't be accosted."

"The park?" Serena asked. Jedite didn't know. It was as good a place as any to check.

* * *

When Maxfield Stanton had called that day, Molly agreed to meet him in the park after sundown. Few people were in the park, even the homeless tended to stick to other areas. It would be a perfect place to start a romantic date, and where she could give him information on Jed Hanson. What little bit she found would surely make a difference to Maxfield.

So she waited patiently on the park bench for Maxfield to come along. The nice warm breeze relaxed Molly and made her feel better. The park may have been empty, but it was still a little spooky.

"Hello, Molly." Maxfield's elegant voice came from to her left.

"Oh, Maxfield, I have so much to tell you!" Molly stated warmly.

"You do?" He wondered.

"I...I think I know where Jed might be!" Molly replied. "He's using an alias."

"Is that right. Why don't you walk with me, and we can talk all about it." Maxfield put his arm around Molly, and she willed herself to keep walking.

"Before we get started on that, Molly, there's something else I wanted to ask you." Maxfield noted.

"What is it?"

"I never told you what Jed was doing, did I?" Maxfield replied.

"No, not at all. Are you like a secret agent tracking a master criminal?"

"Something like that. I haven't been on his trail for very long. Jed is after something called the Silver Crystal. Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

"Silver Crystal?" Molly wondered. "Is he a...a smuggler or a thief?"

"It's complicated." Nephrite replied. "I had thought not to involve you, Molly, but you really have your ear to the ground. I could use you as an informant. You'd be helping a lot of people."

"Oh, I'm just happy to help you, Maxfield!" Molly replied. This was getting even dreamier by the second. A dashing young secret agent meets beautiful witness and together they stop the evil thief from ruining the lives of millions. It was so perfect.

"I don't remember anything about a crystal, but I do know where Jed is!" Molly enticed.

"That will do for now, I suppose. Where is he?"

"Come in closer, I wanna whisper to you." Molly teased. Nephrite looked at her oddly, but he bent down and came in close.

Just as Molly was about to say that Jed Hanson was posing as Harvey Sigurd, the famous actor, a loud female voice came from behind them.

"Hold it right there, slimeball! How dare you manipulate a girl's trusting heart. I won't stand for it! I'm Sailor Moon, champion of justice, and I will triumph over all evil. That means you!"

It was Sailor Moon, looking full of wrath, and ready for battle.

"Ummm...Sailor Moon, I'm on a date here, I don't need any rescuing." Molly tried to diffuse the situation.

"Get away from that man, Molly! He's a monster bent on destroying the world!"

"You said that to Serena." Molly replied. "But you're wrong!" She declared.

"Wrong? Molly, what's gotten into you!"

"Leave right now! We're fine, I don't need to be rescued."

"But you do, Molly." Another voice came from behind her, sandwiching Molly and Maxfield between them. This voice was a man's. When Molly went to look at the man, it was a tall man, with blonde hair, dressed in casual clothes.

"Do you honestly believe that man to be some normal person?" The man asked.

"Who are you?" Molly asked.

"So you've arrived." Maxfield lowered his eyes as this new man. Was this Jed Hanson, the real Jed Hanson?

"Maxfield?" Molly asked. Maxfield rose his right hand towards the new man.

"Starlight Attack!" Nephrite called, and Molly watched in surprise as an energy blast emitted from her true love's hands.


	42. The Use of Shields

A straight attack was something easily evaded, and Jedite dodged Nephrite's attack with little effort.

"Molly, get away from him!" Sailor Moon shouted from across the battlefield. Jedite dashed forward in a feint attack, attempting to get Nephrite to extend his reach. Distance attacks worked very poorly up close. Nephrite attempted to attack again with his Starlight Attack, and Jedite rushed in to ram Nephrite. Nephrite staggered back, although Jedite was hoping to knock the man down.

Nephrite immediately got back up, and fired again. Jedite dodged, and the attack soared past him straight into a street lamp. Thinking quickly, Jedite used his telekinesis to grab several shards of the broken glass. This was a suitable weapon. Hardly fatal, but it would make Nephrite bleed, and bleeding his green blood should prove everything to Molly once and for all.

Why hadn't she left yet? She was smack dab in the middle of a battle. Normal people ran diving for the nearest cover.

Jedite attacked with the glass, raining the shards down on Nephrite. He leapt backwards to avoid them.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" The cavalry had arrived, as the other two Sailor Scouts quickly arrived.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars attacked next, delivering a line of fire straight to Nephrite.

"Maxfield, are you okay?" Molly, who hadn't budged from her spot, called out in support.

"What are you still doing here?" Nephrite asked the question everyone else was wondering.

"Alright, creep, time to finish you off! Moon Tiara..." Sailor Moon prepared to throw her tiara, but before she could, something was thrown at her head, causing her to drop her tiara.

"What the..." The fog cleared, and standing right next to Nephrite was Molly, positioned as if she had thrown something. Jedite looked around Sailor Moon to see what had hit her was actually a rock. Nephrite was crouched, so it was doubtful he was the thrower.

"You leave him alone!" Molly demanded sharply of Sailor Moon.

"Molly!" Sailor Moon reacted in absolute shock.

"He's not who you think he is!" Sailor Moon remarked. "He's an evil alien monster bent on destroying the universe."

"I don't care!" Molly shot back, and threw herself between Nephrite and Sailor Moon as the hero got to her feet.

"You're wrong. Maxfield Stanton is a charming, caring man, and I'd give my own life for him!"

"Maxfield Stanton is not his real name. His real name is Nephrite, Molly. He serves under a queen who came here with the desire to end all life on this planet!" Jedite quickly retaliated. "Stop protecting someone who's bent on destroying everything, including you and everyone you care about."

"I don't care what happens to me. As long as he survives! He's kind and gracious and not like you, Jed Hanson. You're the bad guy Maxfield's fighting against. I love him with all my heart!"

"_This doesn't make any sense!" _Jedite looked at this girl in shock. Fighting back tears, trembling, but not budging, and preventing anyone from attacking Nephrite.

It would have been easy enough to knock Molly out of the way. Telekinesis may not have worked well against living targets, but it wouldn't have been hard to force Molly to the ground.

But Jedite stayed his hand, Sailor Moon would have strongly disapproved, and that would have led to infighting. That couldn't be afforded now. There had to be a better way.

"Molly." Behind Molly, Nephrite looked as surprised as Jedite was. He understood: No one did such things in the Negaverse. Zoicite and Malachite were lovers, but this was a carnal thing based on lust. Titus's infatuation with Jedite was attraction and adoration. To give ultimately to another of one's own volition like this was foreign?

Jedite thought such a thing selfish. The world was at stake, and Molly would put it all the people of her world on the line for one person of Nephrite. He chided this girl internally.

"Leave us alone, or I'll hit you again!" Molly picked up another sizable rock.

"Molly, get a grip!" Sailor Mars replied. Molly threw the rock at Sailor Mars. Jedite caught it mid-flight with his telekinesis, and let it clatter to the ground.

The group was locked in a standoff, neither prepared to back down. The advantages lie with Jedite's group, but Sailor Moon would be deadset on making sure Molly wasn't hurt. That wasn't easy.

* * *

When Nephrite got over his shock of the way Molly tried to defend him, he pulled the Black Crystal out from his pocket, where it reacted to Molly again.

Molly had mentioned before that she loved Maxfield Stanton, and when he extracted her energy, it was quite the powerful source. Was that what the Black Crystal was reacting too? Maybe love energy was key to finding the Silver Crystal? It would explain why the Negaverse had such a hard time finding it.

"Molly..." Nephrite spoke.

"Don't worry, Maxfield, we'll get out of this." Molly reassured.

"You're protecting a heartless monster." Sailor Mercury called.

"That can't be! I know him." Molly affirmed. Nephrite was surprised. Surely she could tell by now he was no ordinary person. He had been lying to her the whole time. And she still supported him, still wanted to protect him?

Nephrite stood up.

"That's Jed Hanson, isn't it, Maxfield. The guy you were looking for?" Molly smiled.

"What do you want, Nephrite?" Jedite spat out. Nephrite wasn't sure anymore. Jedite had interfered in Queen Beryl's plans long enough: He made a far more effective enemy than he ever did as an ally.

But there was something giving him pause. Nephrite was the superior of the two generals, but he had allies in the Sailor Scouts. And he did not want to battle here, where Molly could be injured in the crossfire. He didn't understand it, but he didn't want to see her hurt due to his battle.

Nephrite turned around, and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Sailor Moon asked. "We're not done here!"

"Maxfield, can I come?" Molly asked hopefully. "I won't let those girls bother you? Take me anywhere, as long as I can be with you!"

"Molly?" Nephrite wondered

"Get away from him!" Sailor Moon called. Nephrite was uncertain of what to do for a moment. And then he leaned in close, and told Molly if she would make sure none of these people followed him, he would call on her later tonight. The Black Crystal still reacted to her. He needed to know why.

Molly nodded in understanding, and Nephrite turned away.

"I won't let you do a thing to him!" He heard Molly say before he darted behind a corner, and teleported away.

* * *

"Molly, you are out of your mind!" Sailor Mars stated. Molly gave no response before running off. She moved very quickly, and was soon out of sight.

"Oh no! She's...she's gotta be brainwashed or something." Sailor Moon stated.

"I couldn't sense any dark energy affecting her." Sailor Mars returned.

"Neither did I. She's doing this on her own." Jedite replied.

"But..."

"We have to face facts." Sailor Mercury immediately cut off her leader. "We need to deal with this."

"Nephrite won't have gone back to his base. He's got a fix on Molly, we need to go to her place." Jedite quickly deduced. "Unfortunately, that means you have to do it without me. She's against Jed Hanson, it seems."

"And I messed it up earlier today, she just won't listen to reason." Sailor Moon lamented.

"They're perfect for each other." Jedite commented cynically.

"So what's the plan? It would be weird if Amy or I showed up." Sailor Mars noted. Amy and Jedite both looked stumped for an answer.


	43. Just a Little Knowledge

Nephrite needed a quiet place to think, so he couldn't head back to his base. The little weasel Zoicite might be around simply to annoy him, and Jedite knew it's location. It could become quite a conflict.

Nephrite needed a moment to think because he was uncertain of where to go at this point, and what to do. The Black Crystal reacted to Molly, and no one else. Why did it do that? And why would Molly protect him like that. Attacking Jedite with his powers proved to Molly he was no ordinary person, and it didn't matter to her. She just wanted to be with him. She had asked if she could go with him. It didn't matter where, either.

He didn't understand it at all, why would she be like that, even now?

And if that wasn't confusing enough, there was still the matter of Jedite and his supposed betrayal. Seeing the way Jedite willingly fought against Nephrite was mind-boggling. He was always the careful one. While he could get angry, he was always very careful, and such a bold maneuver was hard to fathom from him. Jedite would never dedicate himself solely to revenge, he was mission-driven, first and foremost. Even his desire to crush the Sailor Scouts was superceded by his directive to collect energy.

It was true that Beryl had turned her back on him first, but for him to turn his back on her? Nephrite did not put stock in rumors, but he had heard them. The thoughts of way Jedite was so deferential to Beryl. That his loyalty was hers until death, that he would choose Beryl over Queen Metallia.

Everything seemed to be coming apart at the seems, nothing made sense anymore. Thanks to Beryl's betrayal of Jedite, Nephrite wondered if she was even worth working for. She might have him executed merely out of principle for failing so many times. That seemed to be the case with Jedite, Beryl didn't even wait for Jedite to fail.

But to assume they meant the same in the eyes of Beryl couldn't be possible. She ranked her Shitennou for a reason, and the position of second was not one anyone could fill. Despite Zoicite's bravado, he was not nearly powerful, cunning, or ruthless enough, and even Jedite surpassed him in power now. Beryl would not sell him out that easily.

But there was so much to think about, it was making Nephrite's head hurt.

He should go to Molly. Deal with one problem at a time. Finding the Silver Crystal precluded what to do with it.

* * *

Molly stayed up as long as she could for Maxfield. Her mind was so swimming with thoughts, fatigue didn't even register in her mind.

While the whole odd energy attack thing, and the confrontation with Sailor Moon had Molly confused, she still believed in Maxfield. He was a good person, she just knew it. It didn't matter to her that he had such strange powers. Sailor Moon had powers, she was just different.

She remembered the magical feeling at Princess Diamond's party, the night he dressed as Tuxedo Mask. He cared so deeply for her, Molly was certain.

The night began to drag on, and Molly could start feeling tired. She willed herself to stay awake, knowing that Maxfield would come. But she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, and drifted off to sleep.

She wasn't sure how long she slept, but a slight breeze rustled her awake. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up in her bed.

"Molly." She could hear Maxfield's voice, and that made her sit up quickly.

"Maxfield!" Molly looked for him, but saw nothing.

"Over here." The voice sounded from her window.

"Oh, Maxfield, I knew you'd come."

"My name...it's not Maxfield." Maxfield spoke sadly, as if he was weighted down by some terrible instance.

"It's not?"

"No. What Jed said...was the truth. My name is Nephrite, and I am not of this world." The man, Nephrite, delivered.

"O...okay. And...and the part about the evil queen..."

"That part...I'm not certain of anymore. I...I don't know who to follow anymore."

"Trust your heart." Molly smiled.

"That is...an unusual sentiment." Nephrite noted. "No one's ever told me that before. There is nothing but backstabbing, lies, and betrayals where I come from. Before I met you, I thought it was the same here. But now, it's different. You're a bright spot in the world, Molly." Molly blushed at Nephrite's praise of her.

"Molly, have you ever heard of the Imperium Silver Crystal?" Nephrite asked.

"No." Molly answered sorrowfully. Nephrite was silhouetted against her curtains, but she could see him raise up his right arm, which appeared to be holding something small, about the size of Molly's thumb. Suddenly, it seemed to glow with a beautiful blue light. Even through her curtains, it made her entire room shine with the color.

"Odd. I'm trying to find it, and every time, I come to you." Nephrite replied.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Nephrite, I don't know." Molly lamented sadly.

"It is no matter." Nephrite replied. "Perhaps I am mistaken. Molly. I don't want you to get involved in this business. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'd brave any danger to help you. I don't know about it, but I wanna help you somehow! I don't care if it's some queen or Sailor Moon or that Jed guy."

"They are all very dangerous people, Molly."

"I found Jed, how dangerous could he be?"

"Exceedingly, Molly, he is...did you say you found where Jed is hiding?" Nephrite became intrigued.

"Yes, I did." Molly smiled, feeling useful. "I saw him just before I met you. He was in disguise, and he went to the Hikawa Shrine, that place we went to before."

"Really?"

"That shrine girl Raye was lying. Do you think she's one of the bad guys too?" Molly asked.

"Thank you, Molly. I must take a look at this."

"Maxfield?" Molly called. "Who is Jed, exactly? He had weird powers too." Molly recalled how Jed stopped the rock she threw in mid-flight, and used his weird powers to throw shards of broken glass at her beloved without using his hands.

"Molly, do not associate with him." Nephrite cautioned.

"Is he the bad guy?" Molly asked.

"I don't know. There is something I need to find out from him."

"What?"

"Something I need to know and he can answer."

"If Jed's not the bad guy, who is? I'll protect you, Maxfield, I mean, Nephrite. I'll protect you from anyone!"

"Molly, it's best you don't involve yourself. It's...unclear who the real enemy is and where the real danger lies."

"I don't care, Maxfield. I'd endure any of it as long as I could be with you." Molly lunged forward to open the curtains, desperate to see that wonderful man once again. But she felt a gust of wind as it opened, and there was no one outside. Was she dreaming? It felt so real.

She sighed and looked out the window.

"Nephrite..." She cried softly as she looked at the moon.

"What can I do to help you?" She pleaded meekly. She had never felt that way about any man before, and she wanted to do anything for him.

"More than you can imagine." She heard a man's voice from down on the ground.

"Huh, who said that?" Molly stood up and went to the window, looking down at the street. Standing there was a slender, short, effeminate man with blonde hair in a ponytail. Dressed in an outfit similar to Nephrite's.

"Who are you?"

"You're acquainted with Nephrite? I saw him outside your window." The man replied.

"Do you know Nephrite too?"

"I'm his...his partner." The man noted with a slight laugh. "And maybe you can help me."

* * *

Jedite was having trouble sleeping that night. The battle with Nephrite was weighing on his mind. The man was defending Molly, and Molly was defending him. Not in the sense of a human shield to dissuade Sailor Moon. Nephrite could have unleashed his full potential and did not.

What did Nephrite think of Molly? It was so odd Jedite couldn't help but wonder. Did he...actually care for her? Did he not want her to witness such violence? Worried about her getting injured if he attacked at full force? It didn't make much sense. Jedite would be considered an interloper, a meddler. No better than a Sailor Scout.

But that flew in the face of what Zoicite was told, or rather, not told. Nephrite kept the secret when it was in his best interest to reveal it. That was making it hard to sleep most of all.

And then Jedite shivered as he lie in bed, for he could feel a dark presence nearby. Stealthily, he got out of bed and willed his bedclothes into normal attire. There was no way he was walking into a battle shirtless and barefoot. He teleported outside in front of the temple.

"_Where are you?" _Jedite thought, scanning the area. In a flash, Nephrite appeared in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" Jedite drew into a battle stance.

"Calm down, Jedite. I'm not here to fight you." Nephrite did not get ready for a fight. Jedite did not relax. In one second, he was prepared to deflect any of Nephrite's projectiles.

"I want to ask you something." Nephrite continued.

"What's that?" Jedite asked.

"This world. You've lived in it, hidden yourself well. Beryl is completely clueless as to your survival."

"That is not a question."

"Despite the fact that you could have any life you want, you choose to fight us. Fight Beryl. Why is that?"

"What other choice is there?"

"You believe you have no alternatives?" Nephrite asked. And Jedite paused. Nephrite wasn't asking merely to mock him, he was genuinely interested.

"At first, I wasn't sure. Revenge, obligation, self-preservation. All seemed good reasons at first. But now, I think I know. I owe Sailor Moon."

"For saving your life?"

"In part." Jedite admitted. "But beyond that. The only life Beryl showed was a life she led for me. With it severed, I equated being spared to an act of cruelty. But through Sailor Moon, and those I met here, I found the ability to travel I path that I myself have set."

"I see." Nephrite turned his back to Jedite. Did he truly not see him as an enemy? What general showed his back to a foe?

"If I were to tell you that there was something in this world that was worth sparing from Beryl, what would you say?" Nephrite asked. Jedite paused. Something worth sparing from Beryl? Jedite had lived among this world, and there was plenty. His mind flashed to many things worth sparing: The friendship with Darien and Andrew; his job as the actor, Harvy Sigurd. But his mind flashed to Raye most of all. Beautiful, brave, intelligent. Raye was worth saving most of all. Metallia be damned.

"I would say that I knew what you meant." Jedite replied.

"Not an answer I expected from you. But I believe you're telling the truth." Nephrite replied, and teleported away.


	44. Scenestealer

"So you worked with Maxfield...I mean, Nephrite?" Molly asked Zoicite. He had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. This was way too easy; Molly was under his thumb the second he opened his mouth.

Zoicite had noticed that Nephrite took an inordinate amount of attention in this human girl. Her energy was very powerful, and it made sense at first, but Nephrite hadn't gathered her energy in quite some time.

And then Zoicite noticed the Black Crystal Nephrite had created. It was a tool to help him find the Silver Crystal, and Zoicite could not allow that. If Nephrite found the Crystal before Zoicite did, Beryl would never advance Zoicite's position. Indeed, he'd be considered a total failure forever, even more than that loser Jedite, whom Malachite had mentioned had been eliminated due to his incompetence.

So Zoicite needed this Black Crystal, but going after Nephrite directly would be dangerous. He was powerful, even Malachite had mentioned he was not a foe to take lightly. Until his failures against the Sailor Scouts, he had been in Beryl's personal favor as well.

But now seemed the perfect time to steal that crystal from Nephrite. Zoicite knew he used his astrological powers in order to create it, which means that the stars and planets would need to be in perfect alignment. If it was stolen, he would not be able to create another. And with it, Zoicite could find the crystal first. Perfect plan.

"Tell me, Molly. What has Nephrite told you of our mission?" Zoicite asked politely.

"I know he's looking for a really bad man named Jed Hanson with weird powers." Molly stated.

"_Jed Hanson?" _Zoicite wondered. Who was that? Did he have the Silver Crystal?

"And what do you know of that person?" Zoicite tried to play it cool.

"Nothing, really. Just that Nephrite's looking for him and something about a crystal. A silver crystal, that was it."

"_There we go." _Zoicite thought.

"Does Jed Hanson have this crystal thing?" Molly asked. That was proof enough for Zoicite not to dwell on the topic further. It must have been something separate Nephrite was looking into.

"It doesn't seem so. However, Molly, I think there's something you can help me with." Zoicite enticed. While Zoicite didn't know what Nephrite and Molly had discussed, she seemed absolutely eager and willing to help.

"What is it? I'll do anything!"

"Did Nephrite ever show you something called the Black Crystal?" Zoicite asked.

"No...no I didn't see a crystal." Molly replied.

"_Drat." _This would make things tougher. At first, Zoicite thought to have Molly steal the crystal and replace it with an illusionary fake. But if Molly didn't know what she was looking for, that plan wouldn't work. Zoicite racked his brain for another idea, but wasn't very good at thinking quickly on his feet.

"What can I do, Mister..." Molly stated, and Zoicite realized he had never given his name.

"I have to think for a moment, discuss with him. Do me a favor and don't mention we spoke. Nephrite thinks it's wrong to involve you, but I say as long as you're willing. I'd rather avoid an earful later. I need to look into this Jed Hanson character." Zoicite left Molly and walked down the street.

This Jed Hanson was truly of no concern: Only the Silver Crystal mattered. As he walked down the street, he attempted to think of a plan that would give Zoicite that Black Crystal. Molly would be key to this: She was the only one who could get close.

And then, he had a sneaky idea.

* * *

"Morning, Jed." Raye and her grandfather were enjoying a cup of tea in the morning as Jedite came in. It was almost time for Raye to go to school, and Jedite to head to work, so only Grandpa was in traditional clothes. Jedite did not look like he had slept well.

"You look tired." Raye noted.

"Long night." Jedite replied. It may have been code for something they couldn't discuss in front of Grandpa, but Raye didn't have time for something long and protracted. Jedite could teleport, she could not.

"Well, we better get going." Raye could at least talk with him as he walked down the steps.

"Enjoy yourselves!" Grandpa continued to gulp down his tea.

"So, anything interesting?" Raye asked as she and Jedite headed out into the temple courtyard.

"I saw Nephrite last night." Jedite replied, and Raye paused.

"A fight?" Raye asked.

"No, actually. Not a single blow was thrown." Jedite replied, and Raye seemed perplexed.

"I'm just as confused as you are. It's almost like he's abandoned his mission."

"That's good, right? If he's leaving, you can tell him where to hide, and how to avoid being seen. And you can get information from him."

"Almost like." Jedite corrected. "I'm not certain that he has. I wouldn't want to reveal our plans to him. I'm...I don't know what he's after anymore. He was always emotional, difficult to figure out, but...this is just plain odd."

"Hmmm...I'll talk with Serena and Amy after school."

"Yeah, I gotta big day of shooting. I've got the hotel scene today and the club at night. Sometimes I don't even realize what I get myself into."

"Hotel scene?" Raye questioned.

"I'm not supposed to spoil, but apparently this scene is all about giving the audience eye candy. According to the reviews, they like to see me wearing as less as possible."

"Well, I can imagine." Raye blushed.

"I mean...I mean, the reviewers! The reviewers like to...oh jeez!" Raye looked away to hide her embarrassment. But Jedite said nothing.

"You're nervous?" Raye asked.

"Well, let's see. I'm completely covered in scars from the airport explosion, the time I was betrayed, and now they're nothing more than to tease all the women watching." Jedite commented sourly. "My suffering, their titillation."

"Hey, don't be so down on yourself. You...you look good, despite all of that," Raye tried to compliment, but found herself embarrassed again.

"Thanks." Jedite commented.

"Umm...I mean it." Raye tried. "Yeah, you got all beat up when Queen Beryl left you, but now you're better than you ever were. I mean we fought against you before and we've worked together now, and you've...you've become a lot stronger. You're much improved." Raye had never said things like this before, and she was certain that she bungled it. But Jedite actually seemed to cheer up with the news.

"Well, we need to split here. I need to head out on location, not the studio. But...but thanks, Raye. You're a...you're a beautiful, I mean, a...a...thanks." Jedite, more unused to real praise than Raye was, scampered off quickly, and Raye couldn't help but laugh a bit before she headed back to school.

* * *

"Morning, Jed!" Saffron greeted when Jedite made it to the hotel they were using for shooting today.

"Morning. I didn't you were shooting today."

"I'm not, but how could I resist not watching this scene?" Saffron teased. Jedite gave a nervous laugh.

"All right everyone, places!" Director Abernathy called. Jedite quickly grabbed the suitcase prop and took his position.

"Action!" Director Abernathy called.

"So the plan's solid?" The actor playing Patrick was immediately in character, seated on the bed.

"I came up with it." Jedite, now Derek, returned. "According to the profile, we're looking for a girl who's alone, not wearing lipstick. She goes after guys that are alone. So once we reach the club, we separate. Keep your pager on, that's the signal to get back here."

"I thought it was Elle who came up with the plan."

"Elle noticed a few key details. Green shirts, blue jeans, no cologne. Very little alcohol. But the plan is made, and approved. We can catch this killer before she strikes again."

"I sure hope so. The club's gonna open soon, we should get ready." Patrick started to change out of his plainclothes suit into the green shirt and jeans combination needed. Jedite went to his own suitcase and pulled out his own attire. He hesitated slightly, before changing his own clothes.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Patrick was fastening his shirt as he looked over at Jedite, and saw the lines of scars and burns spidering over his back.

Jedite knew what the script had said, but the question still took him by surprise.

"It...it was an explosion." Jedite answered, trying to stay in the part of Derek Flannigan as best he could.

"An explosion?"

"Yes, not very long ago. If you haven't heard of it, I'm not surprised." Jedite was supposed to not put his shirt on for this scene, as much as he wanted to. "I nearly died, but I didn't."

"What happened?" Patrick asked.

"Betrayal." Jedite replied. "I was betrayed, by a partner." Jedite was sticking to the script, and he was amazed at how closely Director Abernathy hit the nail on the head.

"You were betrayed?"

"I don't care to discuss it." Jedite replied. "But...I learned from it, and moved on. I just wish I didn't have to see them everyday." Jedite's frown deepened. "Let's go."

"Cut! Perfect! Fantastic!" Director Abernathy praised.

"All it needs is one of the hotel maids peeking through the keyhole." Jedite commented sarcastically. Patrick's actor laughed.

"Nah, scene's too serious. Did consider it though. All right, tonight at 10 we convene. Expect to work all night, all of you!" Director Abernathy replied. This might be beneficial: Perhaps Jedite needed to take his mind off of Nephrite for a moment, and think about other things, like the things Jedite believed were worth saving in the world.


	45. An Eager Helper

After school, Molly started to walk home. She was barely able to concentrate today, Ms. Haruna criticizing her sharply. But there was so much on her mind she couldn't help it. Between Maxfield Stanton, Jed Hanson, and that odd effeminate partner, there was so much going on in Molly's life.

She could tell that whatever Maxfield, or Nephrite, and that partner of his were doing, it was big. But what was it? There was something about a silver crystal, and then there was a black crystal now too. Apparently, that was in Nephrite's possession, but the partner spoke about it oddly. Further, the partner seemed completely clueless to Jed Hanson, and ultimately wasn't that interested in him.

Partners were supposed to share everything. And, although Molly had worked with Serena enough to know partners weren't clairvoyant, Nephrite seemed to be infinitely more meticulous than Serena was. It didn't make sense that this partner didn't know that.

On the other hand, Nephrite was confused himself regarding Jed, and had stated that he didn't know whether or not the man was an actual enemy or not.

This was getting far too confusing. No wonder those two weren't communicating well. She needed to make sense of it all. But she had no idea where Nephrite and his partner worked from. They had always appeared to her.

But she did know where Jed was. Would Jed even know more? Would he speak to her of it?

She would make him. Molly would force the issue on him. Clearly, Jed kept this part of his life a secret if he was disguised to the world as the actor Harvey Sigurd.

She would go that extra mile. Nephrite may have been his real name, but she loved Maxfield Stanton. She'd do anything for him.

But then Molly remembered that Serena often went to the temple, where Jed lived, after school. She was convinced Maxfield was the bad guy.

Molly paused for a second to think. If she was going to help Nephrite, she needed to do it smartly.

"_It'll be hard to get him at the temple. Raye is there, and she's pretty aggressive protecting him. And Serena there's too, and she thinks Nephrite's the bad guy." _Molly considered the idea of trying to catch him at the studio. But actors could work irregular hours. Sometimes night scenes would be shot at night. As an avid fan of the show, Molly knew that _Precinct 52_'s scenes were often shot at night. Jed probably had his time off during the day, when Molly was at school. And the studio's security was pretty strict, especially since the new season of that show took off.

"Molly." A voice down the nearby alley startled Molly. She turned towards it, to see someone walking out of it towards her. Once the figure got into the light, she could see it was that partner of Nephrite's, the slender man from last night.

"Molly, such a pleasure." The man was still wearing the odd uniform from yesterday. It was absolutely the same man.

"Oh, it's you again." Molly was surprised.

"You're surprised? One of us would have called on you eventually." The man replied.

"I never got your name, I don't know what to call you."

"In a moment, Molly, I thought of a way you could help us." The man spoke pleasantly.

"Really?" Molly was excited. Thinking about it only hurt her brain. So maybe it was best left to the guys who knew about this more.

"Come with me." The man turned around and walked back into the alley. Normally, Molly would have avoided back alleys like this. All sorts of bad people lurked in them. But this man was working with Nephrite, Molly's love. She trusted him implicitly.

* * *

Zoicite could not believe his luck. That girl Molly was the easiest way to even the odds between Nephrite and himself. He still didn't understand the fascination Nephrite had with her, but he seemed to care for her, and that was a weakness he could exploit.

While Zoicite liked the idea of using Molly to steal the crystal, she didn't know what the Black Crystal was, and, considering her infatuation wih Nephrite, it wasn't a safe gamble. So Zoicite decided on another option. One that was less obvious.

"I normally wouldn't do this, Molly, but Nephrite is chasing another lead and I have nowhere else to turn. I've captured a lead who I think has information, but interrogating her hasn't been fruitful. So I'm going to try a different approach. I want you to pretend as though I've captured you, and you'll try to bond with the person who comes in here. Speak to them as a friend, ask if they are all right. And when she trusts you, see what she knows of the crystal." Zoicite snickered. It had taken him a bit to think of this plan, but it was a good one.

"That sounds like something I can do." Molly affirmed eagerly.

"I knew I could depend on you. No wonder Nephrite likes you." Zoicite smiled a friendly smile.

"Really?" Molly smiled.

"Indeed. And he asked me to give you something if I saw you before he did." Zoicite smiled, and materialized a golden necklace with a bright red ruby pendant.

"He said it was special for you." Zoicite slipped the chain on Molly's neck. "It won't be long now, prepare your lines." Zoicite stepped out of the shack, and walked a little further down the alleyway.

"Come, Vrock." Zoicite called a youma. While using youma was still technically forbidden by Beryl, the youma themselves were restless and eager to prove themselves, and Zoicite needed an ally who would follow only his will.

"Yes, Master." The youma, a green-skinned female with brown feathered wings, came at his call

"In the shack down there is a woman named Molly Baker, a human Nephrite has an undue fascination with. I've tricked her into believing that you are an enemy of mine. She'll try to butter you up, and once she gets close, I want you to knock her out and we'll bring her to another base where I can trap Nephrite."

"As you command, Master." The youma bowed, and began to alter her appearance to appear more human-like. She also gave herself illusionary scars and bruises to fall into Zoicite's plan.

And Zoicite laughed. All of his bases were covered. Vrock was a powerful youma, and Nephrite would be acting at diminished strength so as not to injure Molly with collateral damage. And, if for some reason, Nephrite managed to defeat Vrock, which was wholly possible, that little "gift" Zoicite had created would serve as an effective backup plan.

It was time to show Nephrite real power. Just like Jedite, that man was doomed for failure with his poor showings thus far. All Zoicite was doing was easing it along.


	46. The Ultimatium

Jedite had a long break that day between shooting the hotel scene and the big scene at the club, so he decided to make a quick hidden teleport back to the shrine. Now that Nephrite seemed to know where he was hiding out, it wouldn't do to leave the old man by himself.

Was Nephrite planning on defecting? Part of him wondered whether consulting with Amy was the best thing to do in this circumstance. The girl was definitely bright, she'd definitely be a person to consult any sort of planning with. But Amy was only ever acquainted with him in battle, it may not have been the most sensible solution to speak with her.

Further, Jedite was still uncertain if betraying Queen Beryl was what Nephrite wanted. He seemed infatuated with Molly more than an anger with the mission or their leader. It was not the same. If Queen Beryl would allow Molly to be spared the world's destruction, Nephrite's problem would disappear, and he'd serve her unquestionably. Jedite knew Beryl could be flexible, or give the appearance of being so, if the need so arose.

The girls were all at the temple when Jedite arrived.

"Hey!" Serena called over to him.

"How was shooting?" Raye asked.

"Nerve-wracking, but fine. I have a break until tonight, any new developments with Nephrite?"

"No, but I haven't seen Molly since school ended. We usually go mall and stuff." Serena moaned.

"Do you think she's with Nephrite?" Jedite wondered.

"She didn't go home." Serena noted. "Her mother didn't say so."

"It has to be. You've seen how eager she is." Amy's tone was deadly serious. "We should keep a closer eye on her. Jedite, maybe you could take a peek around his base again."

"Not without backup, he's not." Raye quickly lay the law down. "It was dangerous enough doing espionage, and now you want him to charge in?"

"Raye, I can't teleport other people with me." Jedite explained. "And it's too far away to walk. Although, I don't think Nephrite will be there anyway, Amy. He'll be out looking for the crystal if he has Molly.

"Jedite, can you do that concentrating thing again? Maybe you can detect her." Raye asked.

"Detecting thing?" Amy asked.

"Sensing dark energy over a great distance. It is how I found Nephrite's hiding place. I suppose I could, though it really draining. I'll head around back so no one sees me." Jedite walked around to the back of the temple to go do his work.

* * *

It wasn't long before Nephrite's partner returned, and shoved a woman into the shack along with Molly.

"I'll deal with you later. And the door's locked and bolted tight, so don't think you're going anywhere." Nephrite's partner was a pretty good actor, and left without another word.

Molly took a look at this woman, presumably the target shw was supposed to interrogate. She was serenely beautiful, with long black hair. There were some bruises, so Nephrite's partner must have been a little rough. Unfortunate, but Nephrite was into some dangerous work, he said.

"Are you alright?" Molly asked the woman, who regarded her coldly.

"You look kinda hurt." Molly tried to be kind to the woman. Win her over, that's what the instructions were. And Molly knew how to do that.

"Who are you?" The woman asked.

"I'm Molly, I'm a friend." Molly smiled. "I was put in here because that man thinks I know something about a crystal of some kind. But I don't know anything about it." Molly claimed, trying to transition the topic properly.

"The crystal?" The woman's face registered surprise. "You know of it?"

"No, I don't know. They just kept asking and asking and I didn't know anything. What is it?" Molly asked.

"Shhh. Anyone could be listening." The woman's tone hushed. Molly inched in closer. This was it, she realized. She was going to figure out what was so important. And then she could tell Nephrite. And Nephrite would complete his mission and all would be great with the world.

"The crystal..." Molly heard the woman speak, but then a sweeping pain wracked her body, Molly tried to scream, but the noise would not leave her mouth. The pain was soon over, and Molly felt her body clutter to the floor.

Before her eyes shut, she was able to see that woman. Before Molly's eyes, the woman's skin turned a green color, and brown feathered wings erupted from her back. So she was a monster, a demon. Some sort of evil being.

And then she heard a laugh. A high pitched, almost feminine laugh. And the lock on the door opened delicately. Molly could only make out the person's feet before unconsciousness crept to her.

But the boots the man wore were those of Nephrite's partner.

* * *

The sun was about to set, and Nephrite hadn't found much of anything regarding the Silver Crystal. Whatever happened to it after the fall of the Silver Millenium must have been extensive, there was no trace of it anywhere.

And the Black Crystal kept directing him to Molly, and there was no way Molly had the crystal. The power she had, that love energy, was powerful stuff indeed, but it was not the crystal. If that was what the Black Crystal was reacting too, how could he change it: Knowing Molly loved him did not find the Silver Crystal

As Nephrite pondered his next move as he sipped a glass of whiskey, he started to feel the wind shift. After he finished his drink, he went to go back into the main hall to consult the stars for further advice. But taped to the door of the cathedral was a folded piece of paper.

"_Who would do such a thing?" _Nephrite thought. The only people who knew about this place wouldn't use notes: Zoicite and Malachite would come directly, Beryl would send a messenger. Was it Jedite? Did Jedite want to speak to him further?

He opened the message.

"I have the human girl Molly. If you want her, bring the black crystal to Our Lady of the Sacred Meadow in one hour. Fail to show up, and she dies." Nephrite read the note aloud, and immediately dismissed Jedite as the owner. "The girl" assuredly meant Molly, and it was not Jedite's personality to try and get other people to act on their emotions. If he wanted Nephrite's Black Crystal, he would have snuck in and attempted to steal it, as it was the most logical course of action.

It had to be Zoicite. So he was finally making his move. So determined was he to find the Silver Crystal, that he wouldn't allow Nephrite to use the Black Crystal, even though the thing only showed him Molly. Zoicite had to win at all costs, and now he was even attempting to even engage in sabotage to do it. No matter that it was Beryl's orders to not have infighting.

Nephrite couldn't bring this to Beryl's attention: He had no proof Zoicite was involved. Further, Beryl would begin to ask questions as to why Molly was even worth considering. If he told his Queen that Molly was reacting to the Black Crystal, Beryl would inflict all manner of horrors to find out why, and Nephrite couldn't subject Molly to that. He had to handle this himself.

For a moment, he briefly thought of the idea of informing Jedite, who worked with the Sailor Scouts. That Sailor Moon spoke to Molly as if she knew her, so perhaps Sailor Moon would act quickly to save her.

But there was no guarantee Jedite would be available, or even think it was some sort of trick. Jedite knew that Zoicite was ruthless, but, given that Jedite was considered the least of the generals, he never had to deal with Zoicite's scheming. He wouldn't think Zoicite would go that far.

Nephrite had to do this on his own.


	47. How the Shitennou Fall

"So this trick of Jedite's will let us find Molly?" Serena asked.

"No, Nephrite." Raye corrected. "He said something about tracking dark energy with it. Makes him really tired though."

"It's better than fumbling around blind. Who knows what danger Molly is getting herself into." Amy remarked.

"Still, it really takes it out of him. And he's got a scene to shoot tonight. I suppose he'll have to rest once he's done so he can still function." Raye commented.

"Wow, look how far we've gotten from "a tall cliff and a shove." Serena teased.

"Knock it off, Meatball Head." Raye criticized. "Yeah, I don't think he's an enemy anymore. Happy?"

"Whoa." Serena backpedaled. "It's like you have a crush on him."

"Quit it, Serena!" Raye remarked.

"Can't you take this seriously?" Amy asked, and Raye silently thanked her. The last thing she needed was for them to start teasing her about Jedite. Perhaps she was harsher on him at the start of his defection, but he had proven himself a number of times, and Raye was certain that he wasn't going to return to Queen Beryl ever.

And with that gone, Raye's mind was immensely at ease. For her grandpa's sake, and her own. He no longer had to be an enemy sleeping down the hall, but just Jedite, the handsome actor who's double life was saving the world, just as Raye's lived as schoolgirl and Sailor Scout.

And only after that did Raye realize she kept thinking he was handsome. Sure, he was. Queen Beryl definitely had an eye for good-looking generals, it seemed.

And Raye blushed, she couldn't believe she was thinking that. What should that matter anyway? Just because Jedite was cool and incredibly attractive didn't mean a thing: It was his talent that they needed, not his incredible looks.

"_And you're still thinking about his looks!" _Raye criticized herself.

"Raye?" Serena asked.

"Nothing." Raye dismissed as Jedite emerged from behind the temple.

"Did you find anything?" Amy asked.

"It's hard to do on such a long scale." Jedite was sweating, and looked visibly exhausted, leaning against the wall of the temple. "But there's a youma around."

"A youma? Where?"

"On the west side of town, where all the derelict abandoned buildings are. I could sense a human with them."

"A human? That cold be Molly!" Serena noted.

"I don't know, humans all have similar energy, it's hard to tell one from the other." Jedite noted. "But a human would never be with a youma unless it was a target."

"We should go!" Serena noted.

"It's going to have to be without me." Jedite remarked. "I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, get some rest. You've got a show tonight." Raye stated kindly.

"Yeah." Jedite pushed himself off the wall and headed towards his bedroom.

"Wow, I feel kinda bad asking him to do that." Raye stated sadly.

"It was needed." Amy noted.

"I know. But still."

* * *

When Molly awoke, she found herself tied up, propped against a wall. She tried to struggle, but it was no use: she couldn't move her arms.

"Oh, you're awake." A female voice called. Molly looked up to see the oddest person she had ever seen. A green-skinned woman with bird wings, and it definitely didn't look to be a costume. So she wasn't imagining things, that woman was a monster in disguise.

Did she also imagine the boots of Nephrite's supposed partner? Was that another trick. It couldn't be, Nephrite cared for her: He would never put her at risk. Was that it, then? Was the "partner" thing a ruse?

She had no idea, and she didn't want to think about it, she needed to stay alert.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Not to worry. You'll be fine. For now." The woman-monster stated. "Once Nephrite arrives, you're dead weight."

"Nephrite!" Molly stated. "You leave him alone!"

"Now, now, that's not what my job was." The woman stated. "You just sit back." In the position she was in, Molly couldn't do anything besides struggle against the ropes. But that's what she did, however fruitless it was.

Time passed, and all Molly was accomplishing was injuring herself. Outside the window, she could see it was almost sundown. Her mother must be so worried. Nephrite must be too.

There was a stirring from nearby, and Molly looked towards the door. It opened quietly, and in strode Nephrite.

"There you are." The woman-creature noted. Nephrite did not reply, but he looked quite angry with the monster.

"Give up your crystal!" The woman replied. Nephrite did not respond again.

"Or the girl dies!" The creature took a step towards Molly.

"Attempt it and you'll die. What are you doing out, no youma are to be active. Dare you disobey?"

"Our queen will not care when the mission is complete."

"Bold." Nephrite admitted. "But you are aware that Queen Beryl interfered in Jedite's mission to have him eliminated. Do not think she will show a youma any mercy."

"How dare you equate me with the failure!" The woman became angry, and immediately charged Nephrite. Just as she was about to reach him, Nephrite crouched down, and rammed the creature, knocking it off balance.

Molly watched in amazement as Nephrite extended his hand forward. But unlike the energy blast that came from his attack during the battle with Jed, a long white light appeared in front of him. Nephrite gripped it, and the light became a sword. He dashed forward at the creature, still reeling from the attack. Molly couldn't see the impact of the weapon due to her angle, but she heard a muffled scream emit from the monster, and then saw it collapse, then disintegrate.

Nephrite stood above her, his mouth pursed into a knife-life slash for a moment.

"Molly." The man stated. He gripped the sword in his hand, and Molly watched as it turned back into a beam of light, then shrunk in size. Nephrite tightened his grip on the light, and the smaller beam of light became a small dagger.

He began to cut the ropes behind her.

"Thank you, Nephrite." Molly stated. This was even dreamier than she could have ever imagined.

"Who did this to you?" Nephrite asked.

"I don't know. Some man. I was talking to a blonde guy with a ponytail and..."

"Zoicite. I should have guessed." Nephrite interrupted.

"Who is that?"

"Someone not to trifle with. This is why I asked you not to get involved, Molly."

"He said he was your partner."

"He isn't. He's a vile schemer bent on making sure he advances in rank no matter the cost. Molly, we probably shouldn't see each other anymore." Nephrite freed her, and the two walked outside, where it was now almost night.

"Molly, this is goodbye. My path is clouded, and the stars no longer give me the guidance I seek."

"Decide for yourself, Nephrite. I just want to be with you, I believe in any choice you make." Molly smiled.

"How sweet." A mocking voice called behind them. Nephrite and Molly turned around to see the slender man, Zoicite he was called, laughing as he floated near the ceiling.

"Zoicite. How low you've sunk." Nephrite chided

"Killing a youma is against Queen Beryl's orders." Zoicite mocked.

"So is using them." Nephrite returned. "And it seems you're doing nothing but torturing humans. That is not the mission."

"And what would you know of the mission?" Zoicite replied. "You're too busy fraternizing with a human girl. How foolish."

"I've grown tired of your schemes, Zoicite. You will answer to Queen Beryl for this!"

"How dare I? How dare you, spend your time with a human girl who has nothing to do with our plans. I've had enough of your botching and I will be the victor today."

"So you've all but announced your intent. You are a fool, Zoicite. I did not become second of the Shitennou by a fluke.

"We'll see." Zoicite and Nephrite locked eyes.

"Molly, get away." Nephrite called, not taking his eyes of Zoicite.

Molly stepped back, but she would watch. This evil man hurt her too, and she'd help Nephrite if she could.


	48. An Explosive Proposition

While exhausted, Jedite found he could not sleep. The fact that a youma and a human were so close together was odd. Ever since that whole incident where he forced the youma from hiding, there had been only one incident of a youma being used: One of Queen Beryl's attacked him. Neither Nephrite nor Zoicite had used the youma.

That was odd: It was very odd: The purpose of youma was to harvest energy. It very well could have been because Jedite forced the youma out prematurely that Beryl decreed them not to be used. So then, why would it change now? Nephrite had claimed that Beryl did not know of his existence, so why would the decree be lifted now? Whatever happened with the youma before, it wouldn't have been resolved now.

It would help if he knew who the person was that deployed the youma. Beryl would only deploy one if the matter was of the utmost urgency. And it was doubtful that one human could be that important.

Nephrite too, would only do such a thing for his mission. His tactics involved implanting youma into humans. But the energy signatures of the youma and the human were separate, and the human's was too powerful to have been harvested. And a youma using Nephrite's techniques couldn't harvest from a distance.

So that left either Zoicite or Malachite. Zoicite made sense: He was always one to flout the rules for his own purposes. But what purpose could Zoicite have in a human.

Jedite had far too many questions, and, before he did anything, he reasoned that it would be best to scan the area again. Since he knew where it was he wanted to search, it wouldn't take very long, or have much energy lost.

Jedite sat up in his bed and scanned the area for energy again. There was powerful energy there, and it required careful focus in order to differentiate.

"_That's odd. It wasn't like that earlier." _Jedite thought. He could detect three distinct energy patterns once he was able to properly focus. One of them was human, the same human as the energy he sensed before.

The youma was gone. Jedite wasn't close enough to the target area to detect any residual energy, so the youma was either slain or driven off. The other two energy signatures were of dark energy, energy patterns similar to Jedite's own. Two of the Shitennou, it had to be. Only Beryl and the Shitennou had energy that powerful, and Beryl would never leave the base unless it was breached: Metallia couldn't leave it, after all, and Metallia needed to speak to Beryl on her command.

So was that a base? For Zoicite and Malachite, just as that old cathedral was for Nephrite? If that was the case, why would the human be there? And why would Malachite be here anyway: Despite his relationship with Zoicite, Malachite followed Beryl implicitly, and would only go on her order.

So was it Nephrite and Zoicite? Those two, working together? With a human? Jedite attempted to sense again, and he could sense more power being emitted from the two dark figures. Attacks! So they were fighting?

It could only be Nephrite fighting...someone. Was it Zoicite, making his move for Nephrite's position? Or was Nephrite in a position like Jedite was, with Malachite sent to dispatch him.

Jedite stood up, determined to figure out what it was. Immediately, he became very dizzy, and had to brace himself against the wall. All of that sensing energy had really left him drained. And he had that scene to shoot tonight. It was the club scene, and it involved dancing, that wild club dancing that Serena's teacher had attempted to make Jedite do on his first date.

He leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He had to try and make it there. Somehow. Nephrite was standing on the precipice, much as Jedite was. Having two defectors would only weaken Beryl further, and there must have been a full wealth of plans Nephrite would know about that happened after Jedite left.

Jedite took several deep breaths, tried to calm himself. He needed to gather energy, he knew. He wouldn't be able to serve Nephrite in a weakened state.

* * *

Zoicite opened the first volley with a straight blast of energy, his wave of razor-sharp petals. Nephrite blocked it effortlessly.

"So, you're truly going forward with your insurrection?" Nephrite asked.

"You've abandoned our mission, attacked a youma to defend a silly human girl. You've clearly gone rogue." Zoicite chided. "I'll give you a choice, Nephrite. Kill the girl to prove your loyalty, come back and accept Queen Beryl's judgment, or perish."

"I'd go back to Beryl." Nephrite explained. "I'm sure she'd love to hear how you readily attacked me. And after that incident at the party, too. But I take it you're being facetious."

"That really wasn't an option." Zoicite admitted, and attacked again. Nephrite jumped up.

"Starlight Attack!" Nephrite launched his attack at the weaker general, who dodged it.

"Foul traitor. Failure." Nephrite spat. "Jedite gained the title unfairly, you earned it."

"You dare lump me with Jedite!" Zoicite attacked again, Nephrite dodged it easily.

"Clearly, you are worse than he was." Nephrite attacked again, spreading his attack in a wide area. Zoicite was unable to dodge such a wide radius, and was slammed against the wall.

"Ugh." Zoicite got to his feet unsteadily.

"You truly are the least of the Shitennou. I will take you to Beryl for your punishment. I hope she shows no mercy." Nephrite declared.

"So you would choose the human world, over our mission?" Zoicite asked. "You know that when our mission is complete, the girl will perish with all the other pathetic humans. You've lost your judgment, and are no longer fit to command. Your failures have not gone unnoticed."

"And you attack me to prove it? The unfit one is not I. But I sense words will do nothing now. Starlight Attack!" Nephrite attacked Zoicite again. He retaliated. Some blows were dodged, some were endured, but Nephrite knew such a battle was one he'd win.

"I am still the more powerful Shitennou." Nephrite replied. "Do you believe your petty tricks can do me in before you fall?" Nephrite launched a larger attack, knocking Zoicite down again.

"But my dear Nephrite, I don't have to kill you. I seek only to remove that which is causing you to fail our great Queen. That girl Molly. Care to watch her die?"

"What?" Nephrite looked towards Molly, who took a few steps back in fear.

"Zoi!" Zoicite unleashed his attack towards Molly, and Nephrite moved to intercept, taking the attack on his stomach. It didn't actually hurt that badly. Was it a feint? Nephrite looked around for other attacks. Zoicite knew how to mislead.

Seeing nothing, he looked back towards Molly. She looked completely unhurt: Surprised by the battle, but unhurt.

"What are you doing, Zoicite? You will return to Beryl with me this instant!" Nephrite turned back to his foe.

"Not yet! Zoi!" Zoicite raised his hand again, but there was no attack. All of a sudden, Nephrite could hear Molly's muffled gasps. He quickly turned around to notice that the necklace Molly was wearing, a gaudy gold thing with a red ruby pendant, had suddenly tightened around her neck, causing Molly to choke.

"You!" Nephrite attacked Zoicite, who floated backward to avoid it.

There was no way he could simply deal with Zoicite: he could avoid attacks for longer than Molly could hold her breath. He had to deal with Molly.

Nephrite dashed towards Molly, and gripped the pendant in his hand. This necklace was probably a creation of Zoicite's: Nephrite could sense the dark energy upon it. Such a thing was material, though, and it could be broken very easily. If he could rip off the pendant, several of the links should follow. The incomplete chain could not choke Molly.

"Molly!" He called out, summoning as much strength as he could. To Nephrite's surprise, the pendant broke very easily. Links of gold fell to the floor, along with Molly, who was coughing and sputtering, but perfectly all right.

Seeing as how she was fine, he turned around, and faced Zoicite, who was elegantly leaning against the wall.

He stepped towards the slender man slowly, and with every step, Zoicite seemed to smile.

"Gotcha." Zoicite noted before he rose his hand again. Instantly, the pendant Nephrite was holding, the one from Molly's necklace that he ripped off, began to glow hot.

Nephrite managed to throw it towards Zoicite just as it exploded.


	49. Love's Death

"Why is it...every time we need to get somewhere...It's always on the other end of town?" Sailor Moon was exhausted as she and the other two Sailor Scouts hurried towards the location Jedite had told them about. They were exhausted from all the running they had to do, but Serena was the only one showing it.

"You really need to get in better shape, Meatball Head." Raye returned with Darien's favorite insult.

"I can't be the only one tired."

"We haven't gone that far." Raye continued.

"Enough bickering. It's around here somewhere." Amy tried to scan with her computer.

"Jedite couldn't give us an address?" Serena looked around. Most of these places were high-rise skyscrapers, closed now due to the time. But there were a number of alleyways. Serena knew there were squatters and other homeless folk who lived in those places. She never associated with them, but she knew they existed.

"He detects energy, Serena. That doesn't have an address." Raye continued to criticize.

"Enough! I can't concentrate!" Amy chastised, and there was silence as Serena caught her breath, and Amy scanned.

"There!" Amy pointed down an alleyway. As soon as she pointed her finger, Serena could hear something, a familiar, dangerous sound. The sound of an explosion.

According to Jedite, there was a youma and a human. And now an explosion. There was the off-chance that the explosion was utterly unrelated to the youma and human, but none of the three scouts even considered that.

They were almost out of time.

* * *

The explosion was not a large one, but it was powerful, and it happened very close. Nephrite felt the force of the blast violently force him backwatd and against the wall. His face burned, he bled greatly.

But he tried to ignore the pain as he looked forward to where Zoicite had been. Just like Nephrite, he too had been slammed into the wall, but it looked like he was able to use his telekinesis to shield himself from some of the blast. He was expecting it, and Nephrite was not. That was problematic. Zoicite was a dirty fighter, and who knew what other tricks he'd have up his sleeve.

"You've lost your touch." Zoicite took on a superior tone.

"You've lost your mind." Nephrite echoed, and launched a Starlight Attack at Zoicite, another wide blast, so that he couldn't dodge it. It connected.

"Nephrite, are you all right?" Molly's voice sounded meekly.

"Molly!" He had almost forgotten about her. She had been behind him, so it looked like the explosion hadn't affected her very much at all. She might have had a few aches and pains, but nothing major.

"Get out of here!" Nephrite called. Having Molly around allowed Zoicite all manner of dirty tricks. He had done it with the necklace, and who was to say he wouldn't do another.

"No, Nephrite, I won't leave your side!" Molly called.

"How sentimental." Zoicite laughed, and launched his basic attack of razor-sharp petals. Nephrite easily deflected it from the two of them.

"Just leave, Molly. Find anyone who can help. Sailor Moon, Jed, anyone." Nephrite tried to appeal to her nature of wanting to help.

"Sailor Moon? So you are a traitor." Zoicite remarked. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." Zoicite attacked again. Nephrite deflected, but he was starting to get very tired. The pains of the explosion were hurting very much so, and trading blows with Zoicite wasn't helping him any. He was nearing exhaustion.

He tried to attack Zoicite again. Drive the little bugger off. Zoicite may have heard him say Sailor Moon, but, in a swearing match, Beryl would side with Nephrite. She, more than any other, knew his schemes. In truth, Malachite and Zoicite, once they had the position of Shitennou, might even try to usurp Beryl's own throne. Nothing satisfied that weasel's ambition.

Zoicite took the blow, and slammed again against the wall. But he did not quit the field as he usually would.

"The traitor dies!" Zoicite returned, and Nephrite attempted to battle as best he could. But his focus was slipping, and Zoicite was connecting more attacks. Blood was flowing freely.

"Hold it!" He heard a voice shout. Nephrite's vision was a little hazy, but the voice was familiar. It was Sailor Moon.

Zoicite turned his gaze to look at the intruder.

"Enemy and traitor together."

"Molly, run!" Nephrite called to the girl.

"No, Nephrite! Not without you." Molly called back and made her way over to him.

"I've had enough of your bleating!" Zoicite angrily shouted. A burst of fire formed at his fingertips. A split-second later, Zoicite launched directly at Molly.

Molly's eyes widened in fear as she watched the fireball come closer towards her.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon attempted to attack Zoicite, but the fireball had already left his hands. Zoicite would be free to deal with Sailor Moon at his leisure. Jedite could block Sailor Moon's tiara with little effort, even before his defection, when he was at his weakest. Zoicite could deal with it no problem.

Nephrite hadn't the energy to deflect the attack with telekinesis. The only thing he could think of, and the only thing he could do, was shield her with his body.

At once, he forced Molly to the ground and covered her. The fire burned into his back, an attack much more painful than he thought it would be. And after that, he couldn't feel much else.

* * *

Raye watched in surprise as Nephrite shielded Molly from the attack the other general, Zoicite was the name Jedite had given him, had shot out.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Raye quickly retaliated, but the general blocked it as easily as he did Sailor Moon's tiara.

"Well, I think that's enough for today. But first." Zoicite extended his hand outward. Sailor Mars expected an attack, but watched as a small, jet-black crystal floated up from Nephrite's prone body into Zoicite's outstretched hand.

"Traitor exterminated. It's best if this doesn't fall into the enemy's hands." Zoicite replied coldly.

"You...you would attack your teammate?" Sailor Moon was aghast at Zoicite's behavior.

"There was no team: Nephrite was a loser and in the way of what I wanted. Blame him for his failures. Farewell, Sailor Scouts, for now. Our next visit will not be as pleasant." Zoicite laughed and disappeared.

Sailor Mars was so surprised for a second she didn't know what to do. But Sailor Moon moved over to Nephrite.

"Nephrite?" Molly's voice called meekly. "Sailor Moon, there has to be something you can do. Help him, please! He's not a bad guy. You gotta!" Molly was desperate, and Raye could watch Serena's face go completely pale. That was not a place Raye would ever wish on Serena, no matter how much she bungled.

There was a sound at the doorway, and Raye looked up to see Jedite standing in the doorway. He wasn't in his Harvey Sigurd disguise, although he wasn't wearing his general's outfit. He was sweating visibly and looked positively exhausted, bracing himself against the doorway.

"Are you all right?" Raye asked.

"Fine." Jedite remarked. He looked to merely be tired, having no injuries to speak of. "Scanning is...draining. What happened?" He pushed his way towards Nephrite, and even his eyes widened in shock.

"Jed. That's you, isn't it? Jed Hanson. You gotta help Nephrite!" Molly pleaded. Jedite took a look at Nephrite, and looked at the damage. Molly knelt down closer to him, and Jedite used this brief period of time to look at Amy and Raye and shake his head. The sign was clear: Nephrite was beyond Jedite's help, even with his knowledge of physiology. Neither he nor Amy could do anything.

"Molly...it's...alright." Nephrite spoke in a low tone.

"Nephrite?" Molly asked meekly.

"Are you...are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, but we have to take care of you! Sailor Moon and Jed are here. We have to do something, you two. Come on, get to it!" She shouted.

"It's...okay. Molly...thank you. At least...in the end...I could do something right."

"Don't talk like that. You'll be fine. I promise!" Molly cried. It was heartbreaking to watch.

"It seems that...your secret is safe...Jed." Nephrite looked at Jedite, who nodded in understanding.

"Good...bye...Molly." And Nephrite's body faded, and turned into bright sparkles of energy that floated out the window.

Molly wailed and held on to Nephrite's body as long as she good. Leaving Sailor Moon and Mercury with them, Jedite and Sailor Mars made their way outside.

He was silent for a long time, and Raye didn't know what to say. He and Nephrite supposedly did not get along, but apparently, Nephrite kept the secret of Jedite's identity, and Jedite himself seemed disposed entirely differently to Nephrite.

"It had to be Zoicite. That rat!" Jedite finally spat out a curse.

"Jedite?" Sailor Mars asked.

"I thought Nephrite would defect." Jedite explained. "I thought we could gain another ally, weaken Beryl's plans. He told me...he told me there were things in the world worth saving from her." Jedite did not seem angry at this Zoicite's betrayal, rather, he seemed sad. And lost. Just as he was when he was first rescued.

"If only I had been stronger." Jedite slammed his fist into the wall.

"Don't blame yourself." Raye tried to reassure.

"It is our fault. I should have gone the second I thought something was awry. But I tried to discover more first, and Nephrite paid for it. And we suffer too, Nephrite could have made an invaluable mole. I could have gotten here the fastest."

"Then...then you could have been discovered. That would make it worse." Raye tried to speak. Jedite didn't reply, but Raye didn't think he believed her.

"He loved Molly, he really did. Even I'm surprised." Raye admitted.

"Is that what love is? Walking head-long into a trap and getting yourself killed? Defying all reason to do something for someone else?"

"Well, sorta. It's not always that extreme, though. You do things for someone else that may or may not be good for you because their happiness matters more. Kinda like saving the world, just for a specific person."

"It sounds like people in love have low opinions of themselves."

"Not like that. They do it to make themselves happy too."

"It sounds utterly ridiculous. And look what happened. Molly loved Nephrite and she was manipulated into hurting him thinking she could help. Nephrite loved her back and he died for it. That's hardly the way to save the world from Beryl. What good is love? Now I don't want to discuss Nephrite right now. I can barely stand and I have filming in three hours."

Jedite teleported away, leaving Raye alone in the alley. A good thing too, for she could feel tears flowing that she couldn't hold back.


	50. A Housewarming Party

Jedite became utterly stoic as he was working that night. He was able to sleep a little before the scene started. Thank goodness for his ability to teleport, it meant he could sleep in until the very last minute.

He had to focus on the scenes tonight: He was hired and paid to perform a service, and they would not care for excuses. Besides, what could he tell them, that someone he sort of knew died and it set his game off? How silly.

If Director Abernathy or the other actors noticed , they certainly didn't say anything to him. He simply focused on his scenes: The arrival at the club, the scouting for the target, and the dancing and drinking to gain the target's attention, and finally, the spying scene where Derek's partner gained the attention of the assassin, while Derek himself had to tail them.

Jedite didn't think it'd be easy to focus on it, but it was more difficult than he imagined. And that conversation with Raye wasn't helping. But he did his best not to let it show.

When Director Abernathy called an early day for the shooting however, Jedite became a little nervous. Even moreso when he asked to speak to Jedite in the privacy of one of the studio's moving vans.

"What is it, sir?" Playing dumb was probably the best course of action.

"Do you remember a while back, when we talked about you living at that temple?" Director Abernathy asked.

"Yes." Jedite vaguely recalled such a thing. After Nephrite's death, however, he could truly not remember it too well. Darien had extended the offer for Jedite to move into a vacant apartment in his building, and Director Abernathy was curious to the arrangement, and asked to speak with the landlord of the building. Jedite heard nothing of it after that, and assumed it was merely a curiosity.

However, that changed when Director Abernathy reached into his back pocket and pulled a key from his pocket.

"I took care of it, just like I said I would." The man dropped the key into Jedite's hand.

"I'm...afraid I don't follow." Jedite scratched his head.

"It means you've got a brand new home." Director Abernathy noted after laughing a bit.

"Wow." Jedite wasn't exactly sure how to react in such a situation: One of his energy-gathering schemes didn't involve leasing apartments.

"Someone must have let it slip to you. That's why you're a little distracted, aren't you?" Director Abernathy asked.

"Sure." Jedite tried to blow it off. Humans could be so blinded when they believed themselves correct, a talent Jedite easily picked up on.

"Well, when I that the intern responsible...well, get a good night's sleep tonight. We'll probably reshoot in a few days. Don't worry about anything, the team did a great job on this one. Now you'll be able to host the reporters looking for a scoop, and they'll walk away impressed.

"That's...good to know." Jedite smiled, but he didn't feel like smiling. He'd have to go back to the temple and tell the girls of this new development. While he was certain the girls would accept: They didn't think he'd run back to Beryl, after all, the entire prospect made him feel a little weird. He was starting to feel companionship. True, he'd have this with Darien, who would be right next door, and the girls would visit, Jedite was certain. The apartment would make a more useful place to discuss strategy since they wouldn't have to worry about random guests at the temple, or the old man.

But the prospect that he'd be on his own, with no one around, set him off a little more than he would have thought to.

* * *

Raye was sitting with her grandfather at breakfast when Jedite entered the room.

"Sir, Miss Raye. I have something important to tell you." Jedite took his seat as Grandpa poured him some tea.

"What is it, Jed?" Grandpa asked.

"Yesterday, the studio actually leased me an apartment. I'll be moving into there." He noted.

"What!" Raye was utterly surprised at this, she completely didn't see it coming.

"Well look at that." The old man laughed like it was funny; he didn't seem beaten up about it.

"That's what I'll be doing today. I'll drop by and visit, sir."

"That sounds lovely. What would my day be without a visit from a handsome young man." Grandpa flirted with Jedite again, and the two laughed.

"Raye, why are you so quiet? This is a wonderful occasion. Your foreign friend's really taken a shine to our fair city."

"I'm just surprised, that's all." Raye remarked. "But..." She couldn't think of it. Truly, she had no idea what to say. It was weird at first, but she enjoyed having Jedite around now. He made things easier around the place, certainly.

But this was a big move for him. He was becoming integrated into human society, something that helped him psychologically more than anything. Raye figured she should be supportive.

Jedite informed the two of them of his new place. He was actually living in the same building as Darien. At least she'd know where to go and wouldn't be far away.

"Now don't think because this is your last day, I'll let you slack on any chores."

"Yes, sir. We'd better get started." Jedite stood up.

"And you'd best get ready for school, Raye. Drop by and see your new friend when your classes are finished, don't worry about your evening chores tonight." Grandpa stated kindly.

"Thanks." Raye tried to smile. She felt weird, things were moving fast with the whole Nephrite thing, and now this. Perhaps she needed to speak to someone about this.

After changing for class, but before she left for school, she gave Darien a call.

* * *

It was usually very tough to go to school, but Serena found today was even harder. She couldn't help but feel bad about the whole Nephrite thing. And Molly would almost assuredly not be around.

Serena's mother would not allow her to skip school. Even if she had said that "Maxfield Stanton" had died last night, her mother had never met him, and Serena would be subject to questions on how she knew Maxfield. She could blab about being Sailor Moon.

Not looking where she was going, Serena collided right into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Serena quickly apologized, before she realized she had collided into a guy twice her size. He was surrounded by two other people, and not pleased at all by what happened.

"Hey watch it!" The big guy snarled.

"I'm sorry. I'm real sorry." Serena remarked.

"Well, dearie, if you're that sorry you collided right into our gang leader, you can make an even stronger tribute, couldn't you." One of the gang members replied. The three of them started to surround Serena so she couldn't get away. She was shaking, nervous. Were they actually going to pick a fight with her, a schoolgirl over this?

"Come on, cough up your purse!" One of the gang members stated.

"Hey, what's going on here!" A female voice called over. The gang members turned around, and Serena peaked in the location of the voice. Leaning against the wall was a very tall girl, the size of either Jedite or Darien, dressed in an oddly-colored tan school uniform.

"A woman? Back off, girlie, we're having a business transaction. If you know what's good for you..."

"If you know what's good for you, you'll walk away and forget you saw either of us." The girl replied coldly.

"You think a girl like you can..." One of the gang members stepped towards the girl, but couldn't finish his sentence. Serena watched her throw her schoolbag straight at the guy's face. As it sailed through the air, she dashed forward. The bag collided with one of the guys, then she tackled him knocking him down. She then launched a kick towards one of the other guys, then ducked down, grabbed him, and threw him over her body towards the ground.

The third guy panicked, and ran off, the other two scampering after him.

"Jerks." The girl bent down and picked up her schoolbag.

"Wow. You're strong." Serena cheered. "Thanks, I didn't know what they'd do."

"They were just punks." The girl replied. "See ya." She walked down the street and out of sight.

That was an unusual sight just now. Raye may have taken karate, but she wasn't in the league of this girl. And she was walking in the direction of Serena's school.

True, there were a few other junior highs in that direction, but wouldn't it be funny if she ran into that girl again?

* * *

Jedite's new apartment was quite lavish. It was a total of four rooms: A bedroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a guest room. Director Abernathy's team did an amazing job: The place was completely furnished, from beds and couches to pots and pans, and even food.

Director Abernathy had said that he was a star, and he should have a star's place. If a reporter from a newspaper or magazine came over, they needed to see a beautiful place. It created a better image.

As Jedite was surveying the place, there was a knock on his door. Perhaps it was the studio? He opened the door and, to his surprise, it was Darien at the doorway.

"Hey, new neighbor!" Darien was surprisingly cheerful.

"Darien, hello!" Jedite was surprised to see him.

"Raye called me this morning, told me about the new place. Can I come in?"

"Umm...certainly." Jedite invited Darien in, and he looked around.

"Wow, you certainly know how to decorate." Darien praised.

"The studio did that. But thanks."

"How is work at the studio, Jed?" Darien asked, and Jedite made tea as the two talked. His time faking being a human while gathering energy, and the time with Raye, had at least taught him how to be a gracious host.

"Thank you." Darien smiled. "So, you just moved today? Gonna have a housewarming party?"

"Housewarming party?" Jedite asked. He's never heard of such a thing.

"That's when you invite over all your friends to see your new place. You must come from a really sheltered place."

"Well, a place that doesn't have housewarming parties. I suppose I could invite over a few friends."

"Wonderful. I'll tell Andrew, he really needs to get out more. Oh crap, I'm gonna be late for classes. I'll catch you tonight at the party. See ya." Darien gulped down his tea and headed back to his apartment.

"Wait, I didn't..." Jedite was about to protest that he still didn't know the first thing about parties, but it was too late. How was he going to pull this off?

* * *

"So, Zoicite, Nephrite proved himself the traitor we were looking for?" Queen Beryl asked as Zoicite and Malachite both stood in front of her. To find out Nephrite had been slain was a complete shock to her. To hear he was the traitor, even more so.

"I cannot be certain he divulged the secret of youma to Sailor Moon." Zoicite readily admitted. "But he attacked me when I was attempting to gather energy from a human girl."

"Gather energy?" Beryl asked.

"I had no leads on the Silver Crystal, Majesty. I deemed it prudent to gather energy instead. Unfortunately, in the conflict, the girl managed to get away."

"Indeed." Beryl wasn't exactly certain of Zoicite's tale. Even Jedite never managed to be that incompetent, and Nephrite was one of her most able men. But Nephrite was dead, and acting strange of late. While Beryl doubted he was her traitor, he was losing his focus quickly, and string after string of failures proved this. She wouldn't have been able to keep Nephrite in command for much longer.

"I have a lead on the Silver Crystal I'd like to look into." Zoicite started.

"No need, I have one of my own." Beryl returned.

"Majesty?" Zoicite questioned.

"I consulted with Queen Metallia, and she has informed me of the Silver Crystal's fate following the Moon Kingdom's demise. Our most powerful youma were destroyed when Queen Serenity's crystal was unleashed, but due to using it's full power, the crystal shattered into seven pieces called the Rainbow Crystals, one of our youma sealed in each piece. The crystal holders were reborn as humans with no memories of who they used to be. If you remove the crystal from their bodies, they should revert back into the form they were meant to be."

"And we'll gain both the Silver Crystal and our greatest allies in one fell swoop." Malachite quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Correct." Beryl replied. "Zoicite, give me Nephrite's Black Crystal." She ordered. Zoicite dutifully did so. Using the power she had gained from Queen Metallia, Beryl quickly modified it.

"This crystal will serve as a beacon both to locate the Rainbow Crystal holders as well as serve as a tool for extracting them. Take great care of it, Zoicite. I am putting you in command of this operation."

"I shall not disappoint." Zoicite bowed.

"Lastly, I give you two warnings. First, do not underestimate either Sailor Moon or the crystal-holders themselves. The power of our greatest youma is not something that can be easily sealed. The holders of the crystals may have unusual powers. Do not for a minute expect they are mere humans."

"I shall be viligant." Zoicite bowed again.

"Lastly, I have lost two generals to incompetence. See that you do not add to the pile."

"I understand, I will not fail." Zoicite acknowledged.

"Zoicite has performed admirably thus far." Malachite stated.

"So too did Jedite and Nephrite. I prefer results." Beryl returned.

"Then I shall begin immediately. Black Crystal, show me the first target of a Rainbow Crystal!" She ordered, and the crystal displayed the image of a bespectacled tall youth.

"You have your orders." Beryl called. "I expect to see the first crystal."


	51. Cooking Classics

School was the same old boring stuff, but when Serena had her break period, she went outside in order to eat her lunch. And there, leaning against a tree, she saw the big girl with the pretty rose earrings from the street earlier. She was eating alone, very quietly, but very neatly. For her size, she seemed quite dainty.

"_Hmmm..." _Serena thought for a second.

"Serena." A nasally voice sounded behind her.

"Ugh, what do you want, Melvin?" Serena asked without looking at him.

"What are you doing looking at the new girl?" Melvin asked. "Don't you know the gossip around her?"

"Gossip?" Serena asked. In truth, she had not. If there was one thing that Melvin was good for, it was the latest buzz on new students.

"According to my sources, her name is Lita Kino." Melvin informed. "And she was thrown out of her last school."

"Thrown out? Why?" Serena asked.

"Fighting." Melvin answered. "She picked a lot of fights."

"Really?" Serena supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. That girl fought those guys on the street as if she was an expert, and fighting was frowned on in schools.

But it seemed so weird looking at the girl now. She was tall, yes, but she ate so elegantly. And the smells from her lunch box were mouth-watering, Serena could barely resist the temptation to go over and swipe on.

"Anyway, Serena, you can always eat with..." Melvin started to talk to her, but Serena's interest was peaked. Besides, that girl only beat up the bad guys trying to take her money. She could very easily have demanded Serena's money if that was what she wanted. She couldn't be all bad.

As Serena got close, the girl, Lita was what Melvin said her name was, looked sharply at hearing her approach.

"Yeah?" The girl asked with a slight edge. "Oh wait, I remember you, from early this morning."

"Thanks, by the way." Serena remarked. The food from her lunch smelled even better up close. Lita was nibbling on her food and barely eating at all.

"So you're new here, aren't you?" Serena asked.

"New and clearly unwanted." Lita replied.

"They heard, about your reputation for fighting. Word gets around." Serena remarked.

"You don't seem bothered." Lita replied.

"Well, you fought only those bullies when you could've fought me and taken my money or my lunch if you really wanted and you didn't. You can't be some crazy."

"I don't pick fights unless they're picking on someone else." Lita affirmed. "I guess the truth gets distorted really quickly. Barely anyone's said anything. All I get are glares/"

"Happens." Serena noted. "I'm sure the truth will come out."

"Till then it's kinda lonely. It's making me lose my appetite. Hey, would you like to share? I'd hate for my food to go to waste."

"Sure." Serena smiled, and Lita handed her some homemade sushi, a small rice ball, and a muffin.

"Eastern meals and Western desserts." Serena smiled, a winning combination.

"I made these myself. What do you think?" Lita asked. Serena ate some food, then scarfed the rest of it down, answering Lita's question thoroughly.

"Oh man, these are great. You made them from scratch?"

"Yep. I cook a lot, and I love it. So tell me a little about you...ummm..."

"Serena." Serena answered. "Well, school's reputation around me is that I'm a real klutz, so I know what it's like to be thought of as weird. I like the arcade and shopping, normal girl stuff. Why don't we hit all my favorite haunts, get you meeting some of my friends. The best way to cure a reputation is to make friends."

"You're really positive." Lita smiled. "Okay, it's a deal!"

* * *

Andrew called Jedite a little bit later in the day and expressed his desire to come to the housewarming party.

"It's pretty good you got a place of your own. Now if I spend too long studying at Darien's, I can crash in a bed instead of on a couch." Andrew laughed. "I'll tell Lizzie too, she thinks it's way cool that you landed that part. We catch the show, we love you."

"Thanks." Jedite smiled. Now he had to pull this party out somehow. While his myriad powers could help him be a fiercesome force on the battlefield, they weren't very well suited for domestic tasks.

"I'll bring a welcome bottle of wine. Catch you in a few hours!" Andrew hung up the phone.

"_Okay, come on. You've managed to disguise yourself so thoroughly, Nephrite could only find you when you bled, And it's not like the others to pay attention to details like that. You can handle a party full of people." _Jedite thought. A party required refreshment, and, while there was plenty of raw ingredients in the new place, Jedite wasn't certain how to turn them into dishes: His cooking knowledge was limited to making coffee and tea.

Jedite locked up the apartment and headed down to the grocery store. Food was sold there. Perhaps there were recipes of some kind there Jedite could figure out. He sometimes went there to get food for the temple as one of his chores. Some of the packages of food contained recipes on the side. He could handle instructions if they were in front of him.

Nephrite had not revealed Jedite' secret to Beryl, so it was safe for him to wear his normal blonde hair while going out.

As he was in the store, he noticed Amy picking out a few vegetables. She noticed Jedite and smiled at him.

"Hello!" She called to him. "How are you today."

"Quite well. I was given a new apartment yesterday by the studio." Jedite replied. "And now I'm trying to figure out how to pull off a housewarming party. Darien and Andrew nearly pressured me to having one."

Amy laughed.

"It's the full human experience to be thrust into awkward circumstances." Amy noted. "No one will be upset."

"That's not really comforting. I do hope you'll attend." Jedite gave her his address.

"Sure. I'll just run these groceries home for my mother and head over there. Speaking of which, I need to finish. Excuse me." Amy walked over to another part of the store.

Jedite browsed some of the boxes, and found some recipes he could hope to follow. He'd just have to hope for the best for the rest of things.

As he was leaving the store and turned back towards his apartment, he saw Serena walking down the street, walking closely with another schoolgirl, a tall woman with brown hair in a ponytail.

"Hey, Jed!" Serena cheered excitedly as she ran over to him.

"Good day." Jedite replied.

"What's new with you?" She asked. Jedite informed her of everything with the new apartment.

"Wow, look at that!" Serena laughed.

"That's pretty amazing. You work for a studio?" The brown-haired girl asked.

"Oh, right. Jed, this is Lita, I met her at school today. Lita, this is my friend Jed. You wouldn't know it at first, but he's actually Harvey Sigurd."

"Get out, the actor!" Lita was amazed.

"He wears a wig to avoid getting mobbed. That's the studio thing." Serena lied expertly, Jedite allowed it.

"So right now, I'm about to cobble together a housewarming party. I need to call Raye, too, she's the only one who doesn't know."

"Ooh, I wanna see your new apartment." Serena cheered.

"Well, I'm headed back there." Jedite replied. "I just need to get started on the refreshments for this party anyway."

"You can cook, Jed?" Lita asked.

"I have instructions. How hard could it be?"

"Hey, why not have Lita handle it. She's an excellent cook!" Serena cheered.

"I don't think it's appropriate to volunteer such things from someone." Jedite reprimanded.

"It's okay. I wouldn't mind, actually. As long as I'm not in the kitchen the whole time and can meet some new friends." Lita smiled.

"Oh, wonderful! Oh man, I can still taste it from this morning. I just can't wait!" Serena cheered, giggling as she walked down the street, unaware that she'd have to follow Jedite to reach his apartment.

"Sometimes I think she pulls things like this just to get free food." Jedite exasperated.

"You've known her longer than me."


	52. A Scream in the Dark

"Wow, this is a pretty swank apartment." Lita complimented as the actor Harvey Sigurd, whom Serena said had the real name of Jed Hanson, led her into his apartment.

"Thanks. The studio picked the furniture and everything. Reporters need to be wowed if they have interviews, apparently. Let me show you to the kitchen." Jed offered as he escorted her. The apartment was not large, but it was quite functional, clean, and stylish.

"So what's your story, Jed?" Lita asked as she searched for pots and pans.

"My...story?" Jed asked confusedly.

"According to all the gossip, you just dropped out of the sky one day and became the next great idol overnight." Lita noted.

"That isn't how it happened. A fall like that would kill me."

"You don't get figurative speech, do you?" Lita asked. "Anyway, I'm just asking how you came here. How did you meet Serena?"

"A very long story." Jed replied. "A story I don't care to go into."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." Lita retracted.

"I'm not offended. It's just not a pleasant one." Jed did not speak any further on the issue, and Lita dropped it. Maybe Serena would know more, but Jed didn't want to talk about it.

Lita could relate, somewhat. She didn't like the fact that she had a reputation as a brawler. She was no punk, she was a disciplined fighter, there was a significant difference. But, unfortunately, some people couldn't distinguish between the two.

Jed, however, seemed to have far more things in his past. It was interesting, in it's own way. But Lita would not impose on her host like this.

Jed helped her find everything she needed, and then she pushed him out of the kitchen. She didn't mind teaching how to cook, but Jed needed to get everything else ready for his party. And make sure Serena, who had followed them, didn't break anything.

* * *

The party was in full swing very shortly. Darien and Andrew had come, as well as the girls, and even a few actors from the studio. It wasn't a large get-together, but considering how short-notice it was, Jedite supposed it was sufficient.

"Look at you now, Jed. It hasn't been so long since you showed up, and you're really moving forward in the world." Andrew praised.

"It's true. I can't believe he appeared when he did." Saffron praised, and Jedite found himself smiling, almost unconsciously. Things had started going his way after his betrayal.

"And the food, this is fantastic!" Darien remarked. "Who'd have thought you'd be such a good cook."

"I'm not." Jedite replied. "Lita is cooking. One of Serena's friends. She's getting a tray out of the oven, you can meet her in a bit."

"Good. Sounds like a new friend to make. Hey, Saffron, now that I finally get to meet you, maybe you can help me convince Jed to design his clothes for the show." Lizzie started.

"Really, you're a designer?" Saffron asked. Lizzie began to show her some of her sketches.

"Wow, these are actually pretty nice." Saffron started talking. "Jed would actually look pretty dashing in this."

"Uh-oh, the women are discussing your clothes. Run for the hills." Andrew teased.

"I'd better go see if Lita's ready." Jedite walked into the kitchen to check on her. The other girls were already helping her as Lita was pulling something that smelled very tasty from the oven.

"Perfect!" She smiled as she carefully placed the hot pan on the tabletop.

"Oooh!" Serena was eager to taste one.

"They're not even cool, Meatball Head." Raye criticized. She then noticed Jedite.

"What a great party, Jedite. Thanks for letting us come." Raye smiled.

"Well, we seem to be enjoying ourselves. That's good." Jedite replied. Raye nervously averted her eyes a bit. No one else seemed to notice.

"Anyway, there's a few things you don't have for my ultra special dessert." Lita remarked.

"Hmm...I suppose I can make a quick run." Jedite replied.

"Nonsense, you're the host." Raye replied.

"I agree, everyone is here for you." Amy continued. "The host can't leave."

"I know what to get. Just hand me the money and I'll go." Lita remarked. "I'll need someone to give me a hand though."

"Serena." Raye and Jedite both said at the same time, who was trying to filch one of the things Lita just pulled from the oven. Unsurprisingly, she burned her hand.

"Hey, why me?" Serena remarked.

"So you don't burn yourself trying to steal anymore food." Jedite replied.

"This is supposed to be a party, Serena, not an all-you-can-eat buffet." Raye criticized. Serena whimpered, but followed Lita outside.

"Well, shall we rejoin the party?" Amy asked politely. Jedite nodded, and went back to see the guests.

* * *

Most of the things needed could be obtained at the 24-hour store on the corner. Lita would have preferred to hit a gourmet food-store, but there was only so much she could do with the time she had.

Finding what she needed was quite simple, and she was waiting on Serena to get her share of the list near the register.

As she waited, a tall man wearing a baseball cap and glasses came in, carrying a sack of something slung over his back.

"Hello." Lita greeted him. The man looked at her and smiled.

"Yo, Joe. How's it going." The clerk at the stand asked.

"Pretty good. Just wanna get a bottle of water." The guy, Joe, went over to the case of sodas, extracted a bottle of water, and returned to the clerk to pay.

"I'm waiting, go ahead." Lita replied when Joe waited for her.

"Thanks." He smiled, placing his water on the counter. He reached into his pocket for his wallet, but he fumbled with it, causing the sack to fall to the ground. It opened as it hit the floor, and out fell a number of children's plush toys.

Lita put her basket down and assisted him.

"Thanks." He replied again.

"Wow, you have a lot of toys here." Lita remarked.

"They're for orphans." The clerk noted.

"Cut it out, you're embarrassing me." Joe replied.

"Really? That's nice." Lita smiled as she put the last of the toys in the bag. Joe did not speak again, paid for his water, and left the store.

"Don't mind him." The clerk replied. "He's like that sometimes when people ask about that."

"Where does he get all those toys?" Lita asked.

"The crane game in the arcade, Joe's a real master of it, he can win every time!"

"Wow. I always thought those things were fixed." Lita replied. Serena came over with her share of the groceries, and Lita got out the money Jed had given her.

"Alright, that should do it. Thanks." Lita smiled as she and Serena began to exist the store.

"I hope your goodies have cooled down by now." Serena moped, rubbing the hand which she grabbed the too-hot treat.

"Sorry. But you really shouldn't take things that just came out of an oven." Lita replied. "Let's head back to the apartment." She smiled and turned towards Jed's apartment, before hearing a slight scream from a nearby alleyway.

It was a man's scream, and it sounded like he was in pain. Was he being mugged? Lita could not allow that, she could never live with herself if she left an innocent man to be hurt.

She dropped her bag and dashed off down the alley, towards the sound of the scream.

* * *

Serena was amazed at what she just saw. One minute, she was walking back to Jedite's apartment, and the next, Lita was running off. What had gotten into her.

She had seen Lita interacting with a somewhat hot older guy with a bag of toys. If Serena remembered, that was Game Machine Joe, a local celebrity who was a real master at the crane game.

She wouldn't just run off after him like that to chase after him? Was he even interested. Besides, Lita loved cooking, and wanted to get back to it quickly.

"Serena!" Serena heard a voice near her, and looked around.

"Down here!" It was Luna's voice, and Serena saw her cat at her feet.

"What's up?"

"I'm sensing a powerful dark presence. The Negaverse is nearby!" Serena replied.

"Right now?" Serena noted. Amy, Raye, and Jedite were back at the apartment, and it was doubtful any of them would be free to discuss Sailor business.

"We can try to communicate with them later, let's see if there is something we can do right now. Hurry!" Luna insisted before she took off down the same alley Lita took off down a second ago.

Did that mean Lita was from the Negaverse. It couldn't be, she was so nice. If it wasn't, that still meant Lita was in danger.

Serena found herself hustling. Now, a friend could be in need.


	53. The First Strike

Zoicite marveled at his fortune. The man who carried the first Rainbow Crystal was a youth by the name of Joe Vincent, a student who had the nickname of "Game Machine Joe." Zoicite cared not for such things, but the Black Crystal, now modified by Beryl, revealed much.

It did allow for subtlety, Zoicite supposed, but subtlety was for losers. Weaklings like Jedite and Nephrite. If Zoicite had been in command of that mission of the party, the Sailor Scouts and that odd security guard would have been eliminated.

But now, Zoicite was doing things his way, and already, he was noticing an improvement over Nephrite's work. This young lad seemed to be on an errand of some kind, so Zoicite waited until he was alone, and then teleported right in front of him.

"What the!" He reacted with surprise. He truly must have had no memory of his time as one of the Seven Great Youma.

"Why hello, there. Joe." Zoicite engaged casually. Having the greatest youma allied with him would only serve in the long run, were Malachite ever to decide Beryl was unworthy of command. The idea did flit in Zoicite's mind occasionally: She did appoint the two failures, after all.

"What are you..."

"I'll make it quick.' Zoicite interrupted. "You have something I want. Submit yourself quietly if you want to make it quicker."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not sticking around to..." Joe moved to leave, and Zoicite figured such a thing would happen. He truly had no idea of his own allegiances. Wasn't his fault, Zoicite simply needing more prodding on his end.

He pulled the Black Crystal from his sleeve, and it fired a beam of white light at Game Machine Joe.

"Agh!" He screamed quite loudly. But there was no life signatures coming down this alley. The Sailor Scouts, even if they were close, wouldn't get here in time.

Joe's body stiffened, and he cried out in pain some more. A few seconds later, there was a reaction. A red light began to emit from Joe's chest. That must be the first Rainbow Crystal.

"_Haha." _Zoicite thought. At this rate, he'd be finished within a week. So much for Nephrite being superior. He glanced idly back at Game Machine Joe. The red light in his chest was glowing brighter, and Zoicite began to feel more powerful dark energy from Joe's body. When the Crystal was removed, the useless human shell would be taken over by something far more suitable. A piece of the Imperial Crystal and a powerful new ally in one swoop. Not bad for Zoicite's first day of command.

Joe stretched out his hand towards the left. Was he still attempting to get away. Little chance of that, the Black Crystal was more powerful than any human.

Zoicite laughed for a second, and then a sharp pain spread across his face, causing him to drop the crystal.

"_What!" _Zoicite quickly got his bearings back. Someone had thrown something, a brick, it seemed, right at him. But who? The only person here was...

Zoicite glanced back towards Game Machine Joe, who was panting and sweating quite heavily. And Zoicite watched as he stretched his hand out again towards a pile of garbage. From that pile of garbage, a piece of iron pipe emerged from it, and drifted to Joe's waiting hand.

He had telekinesis? That wasn't possible, no human could muster such powers.

"_Is this what Queen Beryl meant when she said the humans might have unusual powers?" _Zoicite thought. Joe threw the pipe at him, and Zoicite dodged it. So it wasn't going to be completely easy. So what? A human throwing a brick was nothing to even Jedite, the least of the Shitennou, let alone the powerful Zoicite.

Zoicite blasted Joe with his own attack to knock him down. It was quite effective, and Joe was soon knocked prone.

"Hey, what's going on here!" Zoicite heard before he could use the crystal. Zoicite turned his gaze to see a tall schoolgirl from the opposite end of the alley. She looked angry, and one look at the knocked-prone Joe sent her into a rage.

She dashed towards Zoicite, and attacked with remarkable precision. Zoicite was able to parry them, but the girl was furious for a human.

"Hold it!" Another female voice emerged from the same alleyway, and Zoicite decided it was prudent to retreat. It could be a Sailor Scout.

Beryl wouldn't know of this failure, he'd attack Joe later with an ambush. Perhaps frontal assaults weren't the best tactic, but Zoicite learned from his mistakes. Not like the other failures.

* * *

Lita was amazed at this strange man with the flowing robe, and how he seemingly disappeared from view after assaulting Joe.

But for right now, what mattered was checking on Joe, who was lying on his back. Lita bent down to survey the damage. Joe was conscious, but out of breath, sweating intently, and, although Lita was certain it was just a trick of the light, she could swear she saw a red light emanating from Joe's chest, through his T-shirt.

Joe managed to sit up on his own, and he placed his hand to his chest as if checking his heartbeat. From his frantic movements and shortness of breath, Lita wondered if he was panicking.

"Joe, are you alright." Lita asked. Joe did not reply, and wobbled as he got to his feet. He leaned against the wall for balance. Only then did he seem to notice that Lita was there.

"W...what do you want?" He reacted fearfully.

"Hey, relax, I fought that guy off." Lita noted kindly.

"What just happened?" Serena, who had followed, asked. She seemed to have missed the whole thing.

"Get away!" Joe bolted off down the alleyway.

"So much for manners and gratitude." Serena shrugged.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Lita wondered, staring at the alley Joe ran off at.

"Well, we should get back to Jed's." Serena replied. "All that food isn't going to eat itself."

"Serena." Lita criticized.

"I know, I know." She retracted. The girl was clumsy, and quite the glutton, but her heart was in the right place, Lita was sure.

"Let's just see if he's okay. We can catch the tail end of the party." Lita remarked, and then she headed down the alleyway after him.

* * *

"I wonder where Serena and Lita are?" Raye asked as she found her way over to Darien.

"Not sure." Darien shrugged. "What a place, huh?" He smiled back at her.

"Yeah. It's gonna be a little sad not having him around the temple, but I guess such things have to happen, right?"

"Has to." Darien noted. Raye again noticed the friendliness without relationship warmth that seemed to be her relationship.

"Have you met that friend of Serena's before today?" Darien asked politely.

"Not before today, even Serena first met her today." Raye noted. Then, there was silence.

"Since they're not back, I'm going to help Jed with the food."

"Okay. I'll chat up Andrew. Maybe tomorrow, we can grab a coffee."

"Sounds nice." Raye smiled, and she headed back into the kitchen. The kitchen was not Jedite's area of expertise, but he was able to cut things into pieces and stick toothpicks in them. He was handling himself.

"Having a good time?" Jedite asked.

"Thanks. Looks like the party's starting to wind down."

"Parties aren't really my thing anyway. But it's nice to do on occasion. I suppose I will have to thank Darien for forcing this on me."

"Well, I'm glad you liked it." Raye smiled.

"If you like, you can take some of this to the old man. I'm sure he'd like it."

"Thanks. That's really thoughtful."

"Don't mention it. I'd better go mingle." Jedite smiled back at her and went out with the tray of food. Raye assisted. It was lonely at this party with her boyfriend. Maybe this would help.

* * *

Serena and Lita tracked Joe to a small café not too far away from the alleyway, and the two girls watched from the window. Joe's breathing seemed to have stabilized, and he looked a little haggard, but didn't seem to have any health risks.

From what Serena was able to glean from Lita, she deduced that it was Zoicite behind this. Jedite had painted Zoicite as an opportunistic scoundrel who would hurt anyone to get ahead, and it was a fact clearly proven true in the interactions with Nephrite.

But what did Zoicite want with Game Machine Joe? The Negaverse didn't go after petty things. Was she trying to gather Joe's energy? It didn't seem so: Neither Jedite nor Nephrite attacked their targets like Zoicite did.

Serena wanted to call the rest of the scouts, but Lita was still around and she'd blow her cover. Serena did like Lita, but being a Sailor Scout was risky business, and those close to her could be in trouble if they knew about these secrets. Molly knowing about Nephrite got her into a world of trouble.

"I'm gonna go inside." Lita remarked. She strode into the café and made her way over to Joe's seat. Serena wondered if she should go too, but Joe seemed calm around Lita. It would be best if she remained where she was.

A few moments passed, and Joe and Lita were talking. It was too bad Serena couldn't hear what they were talking about from here.

"Serena, I feel a strange energy from both of them." Luna, riding on Serena's circle, spoke up when no one was around.

"Both?" Serena questioned. "What does it mean?"

"I'm not certain, but Joe's the one I'm worried about. If Zoicite attacked him, it must mean something serious. And this odd energy I sense around him, Joe has a dark power about him."

"Really? But he seems like such a nice guy." Serena remarked. A tad rude, but pleasant. He gave prizes to orphans on a regular basis.

"I'm not certain what to make of him, but he could be very odd. You must be very careful, Serena." Luna remarked.

"Okay." Serena returned to looking at the diner. Lita and Joe were still talking, but there was another figure in the diner, moving towards the table. At first, Serena thought it was just the waitress, until she took a closer look. Waitresses didn't wear dark blue military coats.

It could only be Zoicite.


	54. The Fourth Scout

"Hey, is this seat taken?" Lita asked as she came over to Joe's table.

"Huh?" He looked up. "What are you doing here?" He seemed a bit on edge. Understandable, since he had just been attacked by the strange man in the ponytail.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. You were just attacked." Lita expressed her concern to Joe.

"I'm fine." Joe replied. He seemed rattled, and still a bit sweaty, but he seemed okay. There was also no red light from his chest: Lita must have just been seeing things.

"Never knew anyone willing to go to war over simple prizes like that." Joe remarked, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Heh, well, knowing my friend Serena, who was following us, she probably snatched them up. I'll make sure she drops them off at the orphanage for you." Lita chuckled.

"But he's gone, no need to hover." Joe remarked.

"You're really good at that crane game if you got all those prizes." Lita complimented. "I always thought those things were fixed."

"Some of them are." Joe remarked.

"So, are you like a mechanic on those or something, you can spot the good ones?"

"No, I'm a...special case." Joe replied.

"So how'd you do it?" Lita asked. Joe was silent for a moment.

"Well, if I tell you, promise to keep it a secret?" Joe noted. Lita nodded. Then Joe stretched his hand out towards Lita. In amazement, Lita watched Joe's coffee cup, the ashtray, salt, pepper, and napkin dispenser all hover in mid-air.

"Wow!" Lita remarked. She had never seen anything like that in her whole life, before that guy who attacked Joe did the whole disappearing act.

"What was that?" Lita asked.

"Beats me." Joe replied. "I've been like that as long as I can remember. Anyway, that's how it works. You could call it cheating, I guess, but I pay for every game I play and the prizes go to a good cause. For some of those orphans, it's the only toys they ever get."

"Well, that's really nice of you." Lita smiled. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." Joe replied. Lita wasn't sure if he was telling the whole truth. He looked better, but he still seemed short of breath, and he occasionally placed his hand to his chest.

"And what would you like, miss?" Someone came over to her and asked her what she wanted.

"Oh, I'll have some rose hip tea with..." Lita started to look up at the waiter, and as she did, Lita quickly became nervous, for it was not a waiter, but the man with the ponytail from the alley, the one who attacked Joe.

"Hey!" Lita scowled angrily at this man. The man responded by raising his hand, and pointing his hand, palm forward, towards her. Instantly, Lita felt a powerful wave of force that knocked over the whole table, topping Lita and Joe both.

Joe screamed again and scampered for the exit.

"Get back here!" The man called and immediately chased after Joe, destroying the window in order to save time going through the door

"Hey, are you okay?" Serena, who must have been spying somewhere nearby, tried to help Lita up, but she was furious now. How dare that man try to attack Joe a second time, to say nothing of attacking Lita herself, and the property damage to the café.

There was no redeeming such rogues, she was ready to teach him a lesson, and to make sure Joe was okay.

* * *

Zoicite had chased the first holder of the Rainbow Crystal to another alleyway. He was completely out of breath.

"Listen, dude, I don't want any trouble." Joe was now pleading. Where was this man who fought her with his powers. All the more reason to turn him into something more suitable. Zoicite used the Black Crystal again, and she saw a speedier reaction this time. Joe reacted in greater pain, and the red light from his chest was intense. The red light solidified and emerged as a red crystal. Zoicite eagerly pulled it with his telekinesis.

"One down." Zoicite looked at it and smiled. Beryl would be pleased.

"You!" Zoicite turned around just in time to see the burly girl attack again. Zoicite evaded by flying into the air.

"You again." Zoicite was annoyed. Were humans this irritating when Jedite and Nephrite were in charge. Knowing their weakness, they probably gave them trouble.

"I don't have time for you." Zoicite chided.

"You better make time for me." Another voice called behind her. Zoicite turned to see that Sailor Moon had joined the fray.

"Hey, it's Sailor Moon!" The burly girl cheered.

"Perfect." Zoicite remarked.

"How dare you, Zoicite!" Sailor Moon criticized, but Zoicite didn't care. This would be the perfect test for one of the reawakened Seven Great Youma. A red light was surrounding Joe, enveloping him in a fog. Once it cleared, the creature standing there was infinitely more appealing than that worthless human.

"Long time no see." Zoicite noted. "Go and kill these enemies of Queen Beryl. I'll be waiting to reunite you with our Queen once you're finished." And Zoicite teleported away with a laugh.

He couldn't stick around. While the Rainbow Crystal itself, while pretty, was not that remarkable to Zoicite, Beryl knew it was part of the Silver Crystal, and that was not something to take lightly.

Beryl would want this immediately.

* * *

"With pleasure." The monster that was Game Machine Joe cleared with an evil look to Sailor Moon. No recognition flared in his eyes towards either herself or Lita. This was no longer Game Machine Joe.

"Down to your last life, sailor girl. Time to play a little game." Joe's arm turned into a mallet, and he swung it towards Sailor Moon. It was all she could do to dodge it.

"_Uh-oh." _She worried. If she moon dusted this monster, what would happen to Joe? She couldn't hurt an innocent like this.

That weasel Zoicite, no wonder Jedite looked upon him even worse than Malachite, the one who betrayed him.

The monster began to swing his hammer again. But before it could, Lita charged into the fray, picking the monster up and throwing it into a tree.

"Wow!" Sailor Moon was impressed. With no powers at all, Lita was completely unafraid of anything. She was so cool.

"Game over, creep. Give Joe back right now." Lita ordered.

"Still got a continue." The monster returned, and swung his hammer towards Lita. She dashed forward to avoid the hammer, so only the weapon's hilt hit her. It did little more than knock her slightly off balance.

Lita attempted to ram the monster, but it appeared to be expecting this, and it swung it's other arm towards her, and launched what appeared to be some sort of claw. It wrapped around her, binding her arms to her side.

"Lita!" Sailor Moon called, and she tried to jump-kick the monster in the face. Just something to get the monster off of her.

Her attack connected, and Sailor Moon looked over at Lita to see if she was okay. She was still standing, that was a good sign. But on her forehead was a strange symbol, glowing in green. A weird-looking "4" with a curvy line.

"Jupiter!" Luna called out.

"Huh?" Serena asked.

"Just tell with the monster, I'll handle this!" Luna snapped out, and made her way over to Lita.

"Lita, listen carefully."

"Huh?" Lita looked around at the unfamiliar voice.

"Down here!" Luna called.

"Serena's cat? You...can talk?"

"Lita, it..." Serena started, but immediately, the monster roared and got back up, looking at Sailor Moon with fury.

"Lita, I have little time to explain. Just like Sailor Moon, you are chosen to fight against the dark forces of the Negaverse." Luna started to talk, but Serena could no longer pay attention to it. The monster was in front of her, ready to fight.

"Take this!" The monster swung his hammer again. Serena attempted to dodge it, but the monster immediately followed with his claw, and caught Sailor Moon in mid-dodge.

"Agh!" She screamed. She couldn't move to do much of anything.

"I call upon the great powers of Jupiter. Supreme Thunder Crash!" A voice to her right called out before a wave of lightning washed over the monster, shattering the monster's claw, freeing Sailor Moon.

She looked over to see a new person. Dressed in a sailor fuku with a green skirt, Lita was now Sailor Jupiter. Serena couldn't have asked for a better ally. Dependable, brave, and strong.

Sailor Moon got back up. With Jupiter by her side, she was prepared to fight. But she still had a bigger problem. What could she do to this monster without hurting poor Game Machine Joe?

"Luna? How do we beat this?" When all else failed, ask for Luna's advice.

"We need to turn him human again." Luna replied.

"What happened to him?" Serena asked.

"Explanations later, here, take this!" Luna jumped into the air, and as she did, something appeared right before her and clattered to the ground.

Serena picked it up. It was a wand, the size of her hand, with a crescent moon on the end.

"This wand should do it, use it's power on Game Machine Joe, it should revert him back to a human."

"All right, here goes!" Serena pulled out the wand. She could feel it's energy as it fit neatly in her hand. She knew what to do with it, without being told.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" She called. It emitted waves of energy over the monster. Serena could feel it's soft light from the wand itself.

The monster, however, didn't react favorably to it. It screamed, and moaned, and then started to glow in a white light. It faded after a few seconds, and the monster was gone. Only Game Machine Joe was left, as he collapsed to the ground.

"Joe!" Sailor Jupiter called as she crouched to check on him.

"He'll be fine." Luna noted. "The wand has turned him back to his old self. He should only think this whole thing was a nightmare."

"That's good." Lita stood up. "So...I'm a Sailor Scout too?" She wondered aloud.

"Yep" Serena laughed. "We should get you to meet the rest of the team, they'll be thrilled there's another one of us."

Joe looked like he was coming too, so Lita and Serena quickly de-transformed. He'd be confused enough without two super-heroes looking over him.

* * *

It was very late by the time Serena and Lita returned to Jedite's apartment. The party was already over. Jed and Raye were cleaning the living room, and Amy was very neatly putting dishes away in the kitchen.

"Wow, where'd you guys run off to?" Raye asked. She was certain that the two of them had gone boy-chasing or Lita simply got suckered into one of Serena's schemes. She was like that a lot. How she was the leader of their group was something she could never understand.

"I've got a lot to tell you guys. Zoicite's back." Serena noted. While that surprised Raye, it surprised her more that Serena would speak of that so openly with Lita standing not ten feet from her.

"Lita, perhaps you could assist me in the kitchen." Jedite covered expertly.

"What?" Lita asked.

"It's okay, guys. Lita's one of us." Serena cheered. "Meet the newest Sailor Scout, Sailor Jupiter."

"Wow." Raye was surprised. Serena meets a new friend today, and that friend ended up being a new Sailor Scout, a powerful teammate. While the Scouts weren't hurting for help, having another able hand could never be turned away.

"So, we have another Sailor Scout now?" Amy asked, coming in from the kitchen.

"It's true, and it seems Queen Beryl has changed her plans." Luna addressed the group.

"That's bad." Jedite remarked. "If she's done that, then we won't have our advantage of knowing her attack patterns."

"So Amy, Raye, and Jed, you're all Sailor Scouts too?" Lita asked.

"Not exactly. Amy and Raye are Sailor Scouts." Jedite replied. "I'm actually a, well, the word I want is defector. I used to work for those guys and now I switched sides. My real name isn't Jed Hanson or Harvey Sigurd, it's actually Jedite, and I'm not exactly human." It was funny to Raye how he glossed over the part where he was actually betrayed first. But she allowed it. Now wasn't the time for such corrections.

"You're not. Wow, you had me fooled."

"Lots of others, too. I'm pretty good at it now. Anyway, it's late. Perhaps we can discuss it tomorrow. We can either meet here or at the Temple. Probably the Temple. It's easier for me to get there than for you to come here." Jedite replied.

"Yeah." Raye remarked. "Let's turn in and start fresh tomorrow." The girls finished up and started to head out. Lita was headed in the same direction as Raye so the two girls walked for a bit for a while.

"It'll be nice to have a new girl around." Raye remarked. "It's been just the four of us for a while."

"So Jed's not even human. Wow."

"He used to be our greatest enemy. But now he's on our side." Raye would not mention his betrayal either. Jedite had earned the right, and she respected him enough to do so.

Raye then looked over at Lita, as she was silent for a minute.

"Hey, you all right?" Raye asked.

"He looks just like my old boyfriend."


	55. Lookouts

Molly's desk was empty, as it had been ever since Nephrite's death. Serena stared at it blankly, not paying attention to Ms. Haruna's lectures.

It had been nearly a week now since Nephrite's death, and Molly would, of course, be taking it the hardest. Molly had refused visitors, and according to her mother, had been shut up in her room.

Serena had used the excuse of delivering classwork to try and see her, but each time, Molly refused. It was getting very hard for Serena to simply be shut away at the door, even though she knew Molly had to be hurting far worse.

"Ms. H?" Serena went up to her teacher's desk as class ended.

"Yes?" She asked. "Oh, you must want extra work to give to Molly."

"Yes, ma'am." Serena noted.

"Out for a whole week. Is she having surgery or something?"

"N-no." Serena bit her lip. She wondered if it was appropriate to tell Ms. H about what happened with Molly. Sparing the part about Nephrite being a power-hungry alien, she could tell her that a very close friend of Molly's died recently.

But Serena decided not to. Molly would never forgive her if this spread.

"Here you go." Ms. H handed Serena some more work. She took it silently.

* * *

There was a Sailor Scout meeting at the temple, but Jedite had some early afternoon shooting today, and by the time he was finished, there was a fair-sized crowd at the studio. He wouldn't be able to merely teleport there.

As he walked towards the temple, he walked past OSA-P, the jewelry store where he had his first energy-gathering plot. It was also the home of Molly Baker, the human whom Nephrite had an undue fascination with. The fascination that led to his death.

He could see Molly in the upstairs window, although it was difficult to tell what she was doing from this angle. According to Serena, Molly had not been attending school since everything that happened.

Jedite knew well to leave it alone. His knowledge of human emotions was limited as is.

"Hey!" Jedite could hear Serena's voice calling out to him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Serena called.

"I'm headed for the temple. You know, for the meeting." Serena would have been taking a more roundabout way if she was going from her school to the temple and she somewhat ended up here.

"I know. But, well, I had to drop some schoolwork off for Molly."

"I see." Jedite could understand that: Serena would forget, and Molly would be the one suffering for it. As scatterbrained as she was, Serena at least attempted to be considerate.

"I also, you know, wanted to see how she was, you know. She can't be in a good place."

"You are the one who knows her." Jedite affirmed.

"What about you?" She asked.

"What about me?" Jedite asked.

"The whole Nephrite thing. You're doing good."

"It is unfortunate what happened. Nephrite as an ally would have made for a powerful force. Powerful enough we could consider taking a more open stance against Beryl. Nephrite was powerful. The two of us together would be a match for Malachite, even Beryl herself."

"I don't mean about that, I mean, you know, personally."

"Personally?" Jedite was confused. "I suppose you mean psychologically. I am fine in that sense. Would be best if we learned from Nephrite's mistakes and continued on our path. Beryl will not stop for misery."

"It's okay if you're upset, I am too."

"I am fine." Jedite insisted. "And if I don't hurry, I'm going to be late for the scout meeting. You should come too, once you are finished with her. Don't take too long." Jedite took off down the road. That girl Serena, sometimes her priorities were so skewed. But Jedite remembered, way back when he was uncertain of her future, it was those same skewed priorities that ultimately won him over to, at the very least, a neutral state. It was harder to make an enemy neutral than to make a neutral person a friend. Beliefs had to be abandoned.

He looked back for a moment at Serena, and saw her talking with a schoolboy her own age with thick glasses. And then the two went into Molly's house.

Serena, even if she didn't know what she was doing, knew how to get results. If it came up in the Scout meeting, Jedite would cover for her. If there was one thing he couldn't argue with, it was the results she brought to the table.

* * *

"Zoicite, you have brought me the first of the seven Rainbow Crystals." Beryl noted as she held the first crystal in her palm. It was the size of Beryl's fist, with many facets in a cut that was flawless. It shown a brilliant ruby red. If Beryl cared about ornamentation, this would be a prize like none other. But baubles were of no interest to her. What mattered was that this was a piece of the Imperium Silver Crystal, which Queen Metallia greatly needed. Once these pieces were gathered, the Negaverse was almost assured their victory over this universe.

"Thank you, your Majesty. It was my privilege to serve." Zoicite bowed.

"And what of my youma. He engaged Sailor Moon, did he not?"

"Sailor Moon appeared to have used some sort of unknown technique." Malachite filled in. "It seemed to have reverted him back into a human."

"How hideous." Beryl noted. While having the youma would have been a great asset, if the youma couldn't handle Sailor Moon, it wouldn't be of much use to her.

"Very well, Zoicite. You may go to obtain the next crystal." Beryl gave her servant leave.

"Black Crystal, show me the next target of a Rainbow Crystal!" Zoicite commanded the crystal. Beryl saw the next target appear from the crystals depths. A tall man with brown hair, and a wiry moustache.

"This is Father Matthew Brooks, a Catholic priest from Yokohama." Zoicite noted the information on the target the crystal had gave her.

"He'd better pray for a miracle. Make haste, Zoicite. The crystal grows near, and I hunger for it."

* * *

"So Luna, what can you tell us about what happened the other day?" Lita asked as she sat at the temple. Amy, Raye, and Jed, or rather, Jedite, had already arrived, and it looked like Serena was going to be skipping out. Lita wished she hadn't: This was her first group meeting and, while she was working closely with these three, it would have been nice to have Serena, who knew Lita more than the other girls.

"My intelligence system has told me that these crystals are actually what remains of Queen Beryl's most powerful youma."

"The Seven Great Youma, Seven Shadows." Jedite informed. "Much more powerful than any standard youma, they even had youma working under them."

Luna continued her story. After Queen Serenity, the ruler of the Moon Kingdom in ages past, used the Imperium Silver Crystal to destroy the army of Queen Beryl a thousand years ago, the crystal shattered, with each warrior imprisoned in each of the shards. These shards fell to Earth, and were reborn as humans.

"So Game Machine Joe was the first one of those." Lita noted.

"It seems to be. We cannot let the Negaverse get the other 6."

"Where could they be?" Amy asked. "Will my computer be able to scan for them?"

"No, Amy. And I doubt Jedite's energy could search for them either, else he would have found them already. Fortunately, that Crescent Moon Wand also reacts to the presence of the Silver Moon Crystal, and, I would assume, the Rainbow Crystals as well."

"So why did you give it to Serena?" Raye asked. "She'd trade it for a tasty cake in a heartbeat."

"Come on, Raye, she handled that wand-thing pretty sharp against the monster Game Machine Joe turned into. She should keep it, she can clearly use it well.

"But she's still a leader, who, among other things, can't even show up for a simple meeting."

"I don't think we have anything to worry about." Jed replied.

"Jedite, you two?"

"She can be a bit of a crybaby, but she's done a good job so far. Zoicite's ruthless, but petty. He can be handled."

"Wow, thanks for the backup, Jed." Lita smiled.

"You're welcome." Jedite returned. The temple door opened to see Serena, out of breath from running all the way here, in the doorway.

"You sure took your time." Raye criticized.

"I...I went to see Molly. See how she was. Didn't see me. I'm gonna try again after the meeting today."

"You're nothing if not persistent." Amy noted, with a tone that was praising.

"If you only applied that to the schoolwork you claim to do." Jedite sniped, and Raye laughed.

"Well, I've got a great plan. The way I see it, she can't resist more than one person. Melvin sort of weaseled his way into trying to get an invite, and maybe Molly will respond better to him."

"Well, at least you have a plan." Amy praised. "I'm going to try and use my computer and see if I can dig anything up on the Rainbow Crystals. See you all later." Amy departed in the doorway.

"I should get on Molly." Serena left immediately following Amy.

"Hm, good. I better get the shopping done before Gramps tries to do it." Raye noted. "He flirts with the cashiers, and when the manger comes out, he flirts with him too." Raye stood up and excused herself.

"So, Jed, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Lita asked. Now was her chance to get a little alone time with that hunky actor. The fact that he was a defector who joined the side of the good guys only enticed her more.

"I'll be filming in Yokohama that day." Jedite replied.

"Oh, you're not free." Lita noted dejectedly. "I was hoping you could show me around town. Another time, I guess."

"Well, I suppose I do know a number of hotpots. But we have important scenes to film. Perhaps it should be another time." Jedite smiled before heading away into the temple, possibly to talk with Raye's grandfather.

Lita felt a bit giddy for a moment. Jedite, who was an actual idol, was actually going to show her around town! It was every schoolgirl's dream come true to have a date with a hunky actor, and ever since _Precinct 52 _came around, that actor was Harvey Sigurd. To have it was amazing.

Lita tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, or the strangest feeling someone was glaring at her from the doorway Raye went through.


	56. To Yokohama

Serena took a deep breath as she came over to Molly's house with Melvin in hot pursuit. While Serena wasn't sure if having Melvin around would actually work, going it alone hadn't been working thus far.

"Remember, Melvin, we're here to cheer Molly up." Serena was very clear in her plans. "So no talking about any sort of bugs whatsoever."

"Rightey-o!" Melvin cheered. It was his pervasive cheerfulness that ultimately made Serena relent and bring him along. Not a whole lot got him down, and that could be exactly what Molly needed.

They knocked on Molly's door.

"Molly? Hey, it's Melvin!"Melvin called through the closed door. At first there was no answer. Serena wondered if Molly was asleep or something.

"Molly? Are you in there? Come on, open up. Serena and I wanted to see you." Melvin pleaded. It was so earnest that even Serena found herself moved by it.

And sure enough, Molly opened the door.

"Oh, hello." Molly smiled at the two. She did not appear to have been crying recently, her hair was combed, and her clothes were neat. Aside from being a total shut-in, she looked to be perfectly normal.

"Hi, Moll." Serena took over. "I wanted to bring you some notes, and see if we could hang out a bit. I've been missing that for a while." Serena spoke directly.

"We brought you some fruit." Melvin noted as he handed her a fruit platter.

"That's nice. Let me get some tea ready. Take a seat." Molly was acting perfectly normal. She was always a good hostess. And sure enough, she returned with three teacups on a tray.

Serena started with gossip. Molly was an incurable gossip hound, and Serena was all to willing to indulge.

"And that's how Melvin nearly had to get cut out of the volleyball net." Serena laughed.

"That wasn't funny." Melvin noted. "If a certain meatball headed klutzoid hadn't tripped me, I never would have fallen in. That must be what flies feel like." Melvin grumbled, and Serena glanced over at Molly. She was quite quiet, but she didn't appear said, just wistfully gazed out the window as she listened, sipping tea silently.

"Hey, if it's gossip you guys are looking for, I've got a real juicy one." Melvin cheered. "It's about that billionaire Maxfield Stanton. He disappeared just a..." Serena panicked, and pinched Melvin on the leg as hard as she could.

"Agh! What was that for?" Melvin cried out.

"We're talking about good things." She told him in a hushed tone.

"You're all the willing to say I got stuck like a bug in a web." He returned.

"Cause that's funny." Serena noted.

"Hey, guys. Tomorrow's supposed to be a beautiful day." Molly silenced their arguing by speaking.

"Oh, yeah, totally gorgeous. A slight wind, fair temperatures, and only a few clouds." Melvin noted with a smile.

"You have meteorology off the top of your head?" Serena asked.

"Of course, you always have to know when the right bugs are going to be out." Melvin noted.

"We should go out. Have fun." Molly stated.

"You're up for it?" Serena wondered. "I certainly am, but you are?"

"Me too!" Melvin noted, completely missing the point. Serena couldn't blame him: He knew nothing of Nephrite.

"Of course." Molly had a smile on her face, but Serena was certain it was somewhat plastered on.

"I think we should head to Yokohama." Molly noted. "Get a quick bite, shop around, and maybe catch the Sailor V movie. Just the three of us. I think I could use a little sun."

"Good idea, exposure to sunlight helps the body create Vitamin D." Melvin recited as the nerd he did. "It almost makes you wonder if humans and plants aren't so different after all."

"Melvin, enough with the science lesson. Of course, Moll. We'll swing by here and pick you up. Make it an afternoon, no one else. Just us. And Melvin."

"Thanks!" Molly put on her plastered smile again. Serena wasn't certain if this end result was what she wanted, given that she was certain Molly was faking it. But a day out should make her more adjusted, a return to life.

For a moment, Serena wondered if the rest of her friends were all right with what happened. Amy and Raye were as sad as she was when Nephrite died. And Jedite was as hard to read as always. Like Amy, he was logical, and she never could get a good read on his emotions unless he was seriously bothered.

But Serena knew she had to deal with Molly first. With both acting and saving the world, Jedite detached himself from his emotions. Molly had no such outlets. But she'd make time for him. He was filming in Yokohama as well that day. Perhaps she could just check on him.

* * *

Serena knew she might not have been the smartest person, but friends, whether longtime gal-pals like Molly, or older men like Jedite, who wasn't even human, were the most important thing to her.

Jedite had to awaken early in order to make it to Yokohama. Jedite had never been there before, and, since he lacked the knowledge of where he was going, his teleportation would not be reliable, and he could end up appearing in the middle of a crowded street, at best.

So he rode the train, like a normal person. It was quite boring, and Jedite was restless by the time he reached it, and Yokohama was not even that far away. How did these humans do it? Well, if one couldn't ever teleport, they couldn't miss it.

Still, he was ready to get to work when he reached Yokohama. All that waiting time was making him think, and, since it was fresh in his mind, he was thinking about Nephrite, and what had happened with him. Jedite didn't like the result, and now Zoicite appeared to be in charge of this new, very important, directive. These Rainbow Crystals, if they truly were pieces of the Imperium Silver Crystal, was not a task suited for someone like him. Not someone who would kill Nephrite just for the position.

It actually bothered Jedite quite a bit. Nephrite was on the cusp of switching sides. While it was the act of saving Molly that killed him, Jedite couldn't help but wonder if he himself couldn't push things further, cause Nephrite's break with Beryl to occur sooner. If that had happened, perhaps Zoicite would have struck more openly, rather than subversively use Molly. In a straight fight, Nephrite would have won. Jedite probably would have even won. Least of the Shitennou his foot, Zoicite was easily the weakest in a straight-up fight.

Once Jedite reached the studio, he tried to blot it from his mind.

"Hello, Jed!" Saffron smiled at him, and he tried to cheer up. "You alright? You look a little glum. Commute that bad?"

"Yes." Jedite knew how to lie so easily. It was hardly a surprise he was a believable at acting. The filming began shortly, and Jedite tried to drive his focus elsewhere. Away from Nephrite, from Beryl. Focusing helped, but when the staff all broke for lunch, he was quietly grateful.

Excusing himself, Jedite took a walk. He had never been to Yokohama before, and it would help to know some quiet places in order to teleport to, in case he ever needed to get back quickly.

As he walked, he passed by a movie theater. They appeared to be showing a new movie. Something about Sailor V, an apparent superheroine.

"_Sailor...V..."_ He thought. Was there another Sailor Scout out there? After all, Lita turned out to be Sailor Jupiter. Perhaps he'd ask Luna about it. Having another ally on their side couldn't hurt. Particularly with Nephrite a no-go.

Jedite depressed himself again. He sighed, and leaned against the wall.

"Good day, young man." A male voice prompted Jedite to look around. The person talking to him was dressed in all back, wearing a piece of silver jewelry which a cross dangled from. Jedite had seen this before, although he didn't know what it was. Some religion among the humans.

"Oh? Yes?" Jedite asked. As soon as he saw this man, Jedite felt a strange energy, a very strange power from this man. Who was he?

"You're that actor, Harvey Sigurd, are you not?" The man asked pleasantly.

"Yes." He replied. "I suppose my disguise does need some work."

"The big star from Tokyo." The man smiled. "You seem a little troubled. Are you all right?"

"Yes." Jedite lied. "I'm just...thinking. It's nothing to worry about, don't mind me."

"Oh? Something bothering you?"

"You...you're asking me?" Jedite stated. Odd that a human would come up to a total stranger like that.

"My name is Matthew Brooks." The man remarked. "I am a priest here in Yokohama. My duty is to aid souls lost in the dark, and help them through the will of God."

Jedite thought such things were claptrap. He knew what religion was, and it was primarily based upon faith, something Jedite had no need for. Reason, intellect, strength, all things for living.

But this man of faith had a strange power all his own. Jedite could sense it, although he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"_I can play a bluff, if I can figure this out." _Jedite thought. He had an hour for lunch. No one said he had to eat.


	57. Meet Father Brooks

Molly was on time for the day trip to Yokohama. Serena half-expected her to bail at the last minute. But dressed nicely with her purse on her shoulder, she was ready for a fun day.

Serena, Molly, and Melvin took the train.

"So, Moll, you hungry?" Serena asked. "We can hit lunch first, or do a little shopping. The movie's not until 4."

"Lunch." Molly noted.

"There's a great ramen shop near here." Melvin immediately chimed in. While the kid was still very much a nerd, he was very sprightly and positive, and that could only help. If he only didn't talk so much about earthworms and bugs, and toned himself up a little bit, he'd be a perfect boyfriend.

The three of them ate with simple conversation, and Serena was surprised. Either Molly was a good fake or she wasn't as bad off as Serena believed. She hoped it was the latter. But she smiled, she spoke, and she laughed a little. Maybe the time off did her some good.

"So, you guys, let's get a little shopping done, maybe grab some ice cream." Molly noted cheerfully.

"That sounds great, Molly!" Serena cheered. She was always up for ice cream, and that's what she and Molly did together a lot of the time. It had to be a good sign.

* * *

Jedite followed the priest to the Catholic church he worked at, with it's nearby graveyard. Jedite didn't like such places, even before he was betrayed. After, though, they reminded him too much of the explosion that should have killed him.

"So, Mr. Sigurd. You seem troubled, and lost. Are you having a problem?" The priest asked. Jedite still couldn't put his finger on what this strange energy from the priest was. Where had he felt it before? He knew that he had.

Jedite wasn't sure what to discuss, but if he didn't say anything, the priest might leave, and Jedite might never be able to discover just what this powerful energy source was.

"Well, actually, someone I knew died quite recently." The only thing on Jedite's mind that would weigh on him was Nephrite.

"He was a friend of yours?" The priest asked.

"We worked together, a long time ago. But I left and he kept working. We soon found ourselves on the opposite side of a conflict." Jedite noted. "And then, he died."

"That isn't all, I can tell." The priest, Father Matthew, he believed the man's name was.

"No." Jedite admitted. "He...was on the verge of leaving as well. It was the right thing to do, really. The plans of that group were...not pleasant. And then, he died before he could. Struck down by a snake looking to advance."

"I see." The priest nodded in understanding. "Is it guilt, then? You believe if he had defected sooner, he would still be alive."

Jedite was surprised by the man's astuteness. Was that a part of his mysterious energy, or was that just what a Catholic priest did?

"Sometimes, Mr. Sigurd, the will of God is confusing to us, and one is taken when we believe he should not have been." The priest remarked.

"I was too cautious." Jedite noted. "If I had been more decisive earlier with what I had seen, perhaps he could have been saved."

"Perhaps." The priest admitted. "But the only thing on such a path is madness. We cannot say what we could have done any differently. There was always something holding you back, something you believed important. We cannot change that, we can only learn, move forward. With the Lord."

It gave Jedite pause. It made sense: Discretion was important even when Nephrite knew Jedite's identity. Such an association, if known, would have made Nephrite's death occur sooner.

"A little self-reflection is not a bad thing, but do not let it consume you. Learn and move on. Now, excuse me, I must ensure the graves are tidy." The priest smiled, placed a supportive hand on Jedite's shoulder for a minute, and then passed him out towards a side door.

The church had high, vaulted ceilings, but it wasn't large, and completely empty. It was as good a place as any for self-reflection.

* * *

After lunch and a little shopping, Molly's smile began to fade. It was fun to get out and take her mind off of her troubles, but as she, Serena, and Melvin walked down the road, she couldn't help but be reminded of Nephrite. He did such simple things with her.

She missed him terribly, and all she could remember was how he saved her at the cost of his own life. She never wanted that, she never wanted someone to get hurt because of her, even more so the man she loved.

Eventually, the two reached a graveyard as they were walking towards the theater for the Sailor V movie.

Molly knew Serena was trying, but she couldn't help it anymore.

"Do you think Nephrite can see me now?" She leaned on the fence and looked over at the silent graves.

"Molly?" Serena asked. Molly's eyes started to water, and she could hear Serena's voice trying to encourage, but she was so sad that Molly couldn't make out the words.

Pleasantly walking among the graves, picking up stray pieces of trash blown in by the wind, was a tall man. A Catholic priest, from the looks of his outfit. Molly wasn't religious, but she knew the afterlife were things they specialized in. Perhaps talking to a man like him would help: Trying to pretend like it never happened wasn't working.

When Serena was yelling at Melvin over something trivial, she made her way towards him.

"Hello." She called. "Pardon me, Father?" The man stopped and stood to face her.

"Good day to you, my daughter." The man was quite pleasant.

"I...I was hoping I could speak to you."

"Certainly, my daughter. Is there a problem?"

"Well." Molly was nervous, but she began speaking. She wasn't sure if she'd sound crazy with the details of Nephrite or his strange powers, but she mentioned that a very close friend of hers died in her arms recently, saving her from a dangerous person.

"I'm worried." Molly replied. "I just don't know what happens now."

"Such feelings are normal, child. And it's been burned into your mind because it happened so recently. But, the adage is old, but time will heal. You feel badly now because you did care deeply, and the shock hurts. But in time, you will only remember the time you enjoyed, not the way it ended. Tis truly the mystery of godliness."

Molly wasn't sure how to react. Time would heal her? She'd remember the good times more than the bad. It didn't make a whole lot of sense. But, as the priest said, this was raw in her mind.

"I saw you with a few friends earlier. The blonde girl with the odd hairstyle and the boy in the glasses."

"Yeah. Serena and Melvin."

"I know that it can be difficult to be cheerful in a dark time, but it's hard for them to see you sad. Take your mind off of it by spending time with them, and when it returns, the pain will lessen." The man smiled at her, and Molly began to feel a bit better. Perhaps the movie would help.

She turned around to go back to her friends, but someone else was in the graveyard as well. A slender man with hair in a ponytail.

Molly blinked. This was him! This was the man who killed Nephrite.

"Awww, look at you, still crying over the traitor." He mocked her.

"You!" Molly was furious. "You're the evil man who attacked Nephrite!"

"In the flesh." This man had neither remorse nor shame. "And it seems I run into you again. How funny." He laughed a bit.

"Pardon, what is the problem here?" The priest asked.

"Father Matthew Brooks. I'm here for your Rainbow Crystal."

"What?" The priest looked confused. "Are you alright, sir?"

"I don't need that claptrap, I know what I want. Zoi!" He reached into his sleeve and pulled out something. A black crystal, the size of a finger.

That was the one Nephrite owned. He must have stolen it. At once, the slender man pointed the crystal towards the priest, and a bright beam fired from it.

The priest shouted in pain, and Molly had to try and help. She moved to get that black crystal away from that evil man.

* * *

In the church, Jedite was interrupted by a man's sharp cry from outside. At once, he felt a wave of dark energy, a familiar wave. It was Zoicite, he was here. With no youma or anyone else around.

No youma? Was he going after one of those Rainbow Crystals? If so, Jedite needed to move fast. As he stood up to leave, he heard a scream from the side. A man's scream. The priest's scream.

Was he holding a crystal? Was that the weird energy? He had no time to waste.


	58. Upon His Fist

Jedite dashed outside towards the graveyard, where the scream was coming from.

"Hello!" He called out. The priest was still making a strange gasping noise, and Jedite moved towards it. If Zoicite was here, he wanted something important, especially if he was without a youma. And the only reason that could be was because of these Rainbow Crystals.

"You!" As Jedite ran towards the noise, he heard a girl's voice. A voice with a shrill accent, that indicated she hailed from Osaka.

Jedite stopped for a second to sense the energy. Three signatures: One was Father Brooks, the second was Zoicite, and the last was powerful and strong. Normal human energy, but powerful. Directed at Zoicite with immense anger. It could only be one person.

"_It seems Molly always gets into trouble." _Jedite thought as he redoubled his speed to reach her.

* * *

Molly looked at the crystal that was in the evil man's, Nephrite's killer's, hand. It was shooting a thin beam of light at the friendly priest, and causing him pain.

That was Nephrite's crystal, it had to be! But Nephrite never used it to hurt others. All it did in her presence was glow a bright blue-silver color.

That man was hovering, but he was low to the ground. Molly could do something, stop this evil man from causing more harm.

"That evil thing, it isn't supposed to be used like that." Molly summoned her bravest voice, trying to sound like Sailor Moon, who was young like she was, but battled evil fearlessly. Molly grappled the evil man, trying to knock the crystal from his grasp.

"Rotten brat!" The man cursed. Molly wrestled with all her strength, but that man had a killer grip on that crystal. He wouldn't let go of it.

Eventually, the man got a hand free, and backhanded Molly across the face. Despite his slender build, he was quite strong, and it staggered Molly and knocked her backward.

"I've seen more than enough of you! Zoi!" The man angrily attacked Molly. Like Nephrite, he had weird powers, it seemed, and waves of petals moved towards her. She raised up her arms in defense.

Before the petals struck her, she felt herself moving, moving out of the way of the blast. Just like Nephrite, something was shielding her. Molly looked up, unsure of what had happened.

There was a man crouched next to her, with dark hair, face-down on the ground. Molly moved to help him up, but before she could, he immediately sprang up and looked her in the face.

Molly's eyes widened. It was the face of Harvey Sigurd. Jed Hanson, the guy Nephrite knew. He was here? Did he have business with the evil man too, or was he following her?

"Are you all right? Best you get out of here." He told her.

"Jed?" Molly was still a little dazed.

"Don't worry. We're good. Just get out of here. Zoicite's not getting with this." The man reassured, and he turned to face the evil man.

So Zoicite was the evil man's name. But Molly wasn't going to leave. What happened to Nephrite weighed closely on her mind, and there was no way she was going to run and hide.

* * *

Zoicite looked oddly at this man who dove in and saved that stupid girl Molly from his attack. It was a man, taller than Zoicite, with black hair. He looked like an ordinary human, but his energy was something else. Like the priest, the man's energy signature was not that of a normal human like that girl Molly. But while Father Brooks's energy came from the fact that he held a Rainbow Crystal, this man's energy was completely different. It didn't feel like either of the two Rainbow Crystal holders he had already encountered.

The man turned to face him.

"Another interloper!" Zoicite remarked. His energy may have been a curiosity, but a meddler was a meddler and no one would stand in the way of his glory.

"Zoi!" Zoicite attacked the man, who leapt up and lunged forward, avoiding the blast. He continued his forward momentum, extended his fist forward. It connected with his face.

"Augh!" Zoicite was knocked down. The man continued moving forward, using his free hand to turn a flip over a nearby gravestone and land on his feet. It was far too elegant to be random chance, this man had powers unlike those of normal humans.

So did that mean he had a Rainbow Crystal too, and Zoicite had not merely gotten to him yet?

No time like the present to try it. Zoicite aimed the crystal towards this man and fired a wave of energy from it at him. If he had a crystal, it would reveal it self. Just a look, to see if it was there.

Nothing happened as the waves washed over him. So he didn't have a crystal. He turned back around to fight again.

"You're going down, Zoicite." The man noted. He knew Zoicite's name? Had Zoicite seen him before?

And then Zoicite sensed the man's energy. It was dark, and familiar. He had felt it once before while here on Earth.

"You're that security guard from that party, aren't you?" Zoicite demanded. While he was there trying to find the crystal, there was that one security guard who deflected his attacks completely unlike any human.

True, that security guard had blonde hair and this guy's was black, but the energy was the exact same. Energy didn't lie. No wonder it felt so familiar.

"Flattered." The man replied snarkily.

"Interfering in our business will end badly for you!" Zoicite attacked again, and the man dodged to the right. Thinking quickly, Zoicite attacked him again as he was landing. He just needed to keep the interloper busy until the crystal was obtained. Then the youma could deal with him.

Zoicite's attack connected, and knocked the man down. Zoicite went back to work on the crystal.

He could feel it emerging, a bright orange crystal, the same size and energy signature as the first one. So that was two down. Perhaps other people would intervene in this quest, but this man was nothing compared to Zoicite. Only Malachite and the two Queens could compare.

Smoke began to surround Father Brooks, as his screams of pain began to taper off.

"Here it is!" Zoicite grinned.

"No, you, don't!" The security guard shouted, and Zoicite turned his head for a moment to see the man. He could barely register that the man's entire arm was glowing with a powerful energy. He unleashed it quickly. But he didn't target him, but rather, the crystal in his hand. It connected just as the Rainbow Crystal was emerging.

* * *

The only place Molly could have run to without Serena or Melvin seeing her was the graveyard.

Leaving Melvin where they were standing, in case Molly went back there on her own, Serena headed into the graveyard to look for her. As she moved there, she heard a strange beeping from her purse.

"_Huh?" _Serena wondered. She opened it to discover the source of the beeping was the Crescent Moon Wand, the fancy thing Luna had given her before. Why was it beeping like that?

The wand itself offered no advice other than it's constant beeping.

"Serena!" Serena heard Luna's voice from nearby.

"Luna?"

"That's the Rainbow Crystal Alert, Serena. Hurry, one of the crystals must be nearby!" Luna was frantic.

"Now?" Serena noted with a bit of worry. Not only was she in the middle of looking for Molly, but none of the other scouts were around. She'd be all on her own, just like it was when she was facing Jedite for the first time. And that was still very scary.

"Come on, Serena, you better transform." Luna remarked.

"All right." Serena nodded. Alone as she was, she could reach the others via communicator. She couldn't let Zoicite get away with another of the Rainbow Crystals.

"Moon Prism Power." She noted once she was alone. She followed the beeping, which became steadily more intense, until she came across an odd tableau among the graves. Zoicite was standing, pointing that Black Crystal at what appeared to be a column of smoke. Molly was crouched on the ground watching. But, behind Zoicite was Jedite, his entire arm was glowing with a pale blue light. At once, Jedite launched the wave at Zoicite, causing the slender man to cry out in pain.

From the pillar of smoke, an orange light shot of into the sky.

"What the?" Sailor Moon noted.

"No!" Zoicite called. "Where did the crystal go."

"You won't take it!" Jedite shouted back, causing his arm to glow again. Serena had never seen him emit such power before. It almost made her afraid.

* * *

Seeing Zoicite again had driven Jedite into a rage, he could barely think. When he was able to think coherently, the orange crystal that was Father Brooks's Rainbow Crystal shoot off into the sky. Was it a result of Jedite's attack?

"Where did it go?" Zoicite floated up into the air to search for it.

"Get down here!" Jedite shouted, launching another wave of energy from his fist. It connected, but Zoicite teleported away before launching a counter-attack of his own. Just like him, never sticking around for a fight.

"Whoa!" Sailor Moon, whom Jedite didn't even know was present, spoke from the sidelines.

"I've seen you do that before." She remarked.

"I..." Even Jedite was surprised by the power he unleashed. It left him very drained, though. He wasn't going to be able to do many more of them.

"The Crystal!" Jedite looked around. "We can't let Zoicite get it."

"But...the youma." Sailor Moon had a different set of priorities. The smoke around Father Brooks faded, and what was left bore only a passing resemblance to the priest. He was a pale-green skinned, shirtless man wearing thick gloves and shorts with a bell on the front.

He looked like a fighter.

"I'm Bobo the Vulture." The youma stated.

"Uh, he's all yours." Sailor Moon offered.

"You're the one with the wand to heal him back. Take care of him, I'll secure the crystal. And make sure Zoicite doesn't get away." Jedite growled as he prepared to search.


	59. Fate of the Crystal

Jedite dashed away to find the crystal, leaving the monster to Serena's hands. Whoever the youma looked like and served now, he was still, technically, Father Brooks, and Jedite did not have the weapons to bring the man back to his normal form. Serena's wand did that.

For now, he had to focus on what he was best at: Stopping Zoicite, and retrieving that crystal. Even having one of the crystals would mean that Beryl could not complete the set. However, the scouts needed them all in order to gain the Crystal themselves. Jedite would need to think of a plan to retrieve them from Beryl later. For now, finding the new one was the perogative.

The orange-colored crystal had floated into the sky and impacted somewhere nearby. It landed somewhere in the graveyard. He ran to where he saw it fall.

To Jedite's surprise, the crystal didn't roll into some bushes, or go someplace unreachable. It was lying plain as day on a grassy patch of land between some graves.

"_It's almost like a trap." _Jedite thought. He looked around, but Zoicite was nowhere to be seen. Carefully, Jedite bent down to pick up the crystal.

"That crystal is mine!" Zoicite's shrill voice sounded above Jedite, and, before he could obtain it, he had to dodge an attack from the furious, effeminate general.

"I will not allow it to fall into your hands!" Jedite replied. The crystal lie unclaimed on the ground, but Jedite could not take it. If he took his eyes off Zoicite for a moment, that would be when he would strike. That was how Zoicite struck, what Nephrite didn't grasp until it was too late.

Zoicite hovered above the graves looking directly at Jedite. Jedite was believed to be the security guard from Princess Diamond's party, and he had no intention of changing it. As long as Jedite was believed to be dead, Beryl would not change anything about her base or her strategy, not believing her mission to be compromised. It was exceedingly useful.

Zoicite struck first, launching his basic attack at Jedite. He dodged it with no effort. Jedite retaliated by telekinetically throwing rocks at a high speed. Zoicite wasn't able to dodge them all, but it didn't free up Jedite enough to grab the crystal and disappear.

"You!"Zoicite attacked with more force, and Jedite leapt into the air, and hovered level with Zoicite.

Jedite had nothing more he wanted to say to him. Zoicite seemed momentarily surprised by the fact that Jedite, who was supposed to be just a human, could hover in the sky. Jedite took advantage of that hesistation and unleashed an attack of his own. Not a wild, erratic one: His anger had cooled since then, but Jedite threw much of his energy into it. Caution and trying to have a perfect exit strategy was what caused him to fail Nephrite. No more of that.

The attack connected. Had this time away from Beryl and working against her strengthened him, or had Zoicite always been this weak? Zoicite was flung backward, one of the disadvantages of flying was the lack of grounding and traction. Jedite dropped gracefully to the ground and Zoicite flew backwards.

Using this time, Jedite quickly picked up the crystal.

"Queen Beryl's not gonna be happy about this." Zoicite remarked as he teleported away. And well he should, what good could he do if he couldn't face Jedite in a straight battle. He relied on his tricks too much.

"_Now who's the least of the Shitennou." _Jedite thought as he surveyed his prize. If he could get a lock on what their energy was supposed to be, perhaps he could find a way to detect them.

The crystal was beautiful. Jedite had never seen anything like it. If this was but one piece of the Imperium Silver Crystal, the whole piece must have been amazing indeed.

And then Jedite felt a piercing pain in his hand, where he was holding the crystal. It was intense, so intense, Jedite dropped the crystal and fell to his knee.

"Who's there?" He looked around. It couldn't be Zoicite, Jedite couldn't sense his energy anywhere.

"That crystal..." Jedite heard the voice of another man, behind him. Jedite glanced back to see who it could be.

And, to Jedite's surprise, it was Tuxedo Mask, leaning against a banister. At Jedite's feet was the offending projectile that struck his hand: One of Tuxedo Mask's roses. The man had attacked Jedite before with these, but not since he had switched sides.

So what now? Did he think he was working for Zoicite? Or was this his agenda all along. Jedite had used much of his energy fighting off Zoicite. Would he have even been able to fight Tuxedo Mask now? The man walked calmly over to him as Jedite tried to get to his feet, despite the pain.

* * *

Serena had contacted the scouts before she had engaged in battle, and she hoped they'd get here soon.

"Time for the knockout punch!" The youma, who was more powerful than the other youma that Jedite or Nephrite had used, fired a projectile like a boxing glove against her. She dodged it quickly.

"Moon Tiara..." She attempted to counter-attack, stun the man long enough to use her wand, but before she could finish, the youma turned around and attacked her again. This attack grazed her, but even a slight tap staggered her.

"You prefer the old one-two punch, do you?" The youma attacked with his other fist now, and Serena couldn't dodge so quickly. The attack knocked her backward.

She was breathing hard. Where was Jedite? He was right here. He couldn't have stayed to deal with the youma? Was he afraid it would recognize him or something?

He said he wanted to make sure Zoicite didn't escape. That thought appealed to Serena as well, but not leaving the youma loose to chase it. And that attack he let out, it was fueled by Jedite's anger at Zoicite: Serena could see it in his face. Jedite had always said it was Nephrite who was the emotional one, and that it got him into trouble. Seeing Jedite now made Serena not so sure.

Was he hurting more than he let on, about Nephrite. Serena had thought it was Molly who was hurt the most, but she was acting fairly normal until the group had reached the graveyard. But Jedite was the one who had known him the longest. Perhaps there was more on Jedite's mind then she thought.

Serena dodged another attack from the youma. He was stepping up the pace. There was no more time for thoughts about Jedite.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" A voice came from off to the side. The cavalry had arrived. Sailor Jupiter, the newest Sailor Scout, was prepared for a fight. Her lightning bolt had connected with the youma, paralyzing him. Now was the time to strike.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Serena brought out the wand, and the monster started to writhe in pain a moment. The youma's form turned into a bright light, and when it subsided, there was no longer a youma around. Just a Catholic priest.

"Good work, Sailor Moon!" Sailor Jupiter praised.

"Thanks." Sailor Moon smiled. "We gotta find Jedite."

"He's here?" The newest Scout asked.

"He went after Zoicite and the crystal." Sailor Moon explained. "We gotta make sure he's okay."

"Okay. Which way did he go?" Jupiter asked. Sailor Moon pointed towards where Jedite had walked. Before the two scouts could move, however, Jedite came walking up towards them. He looked exhausted and sweaty, and the look on his face registered complete disappointment.

"Jedite? You're all right." Sailor Moon's's first expression was one of joy.

"Thanks." He replied dourly.

"What happened?"

"I lost the crystal." Jedite replied glumly. "I failed."

"Zoicite got it?" Sailor Moon asked.

"No." Jedite replied. "Tuxedo Mask stole it from me."

"What?" Did he say what Sailor Moon thought he said? Tuxedo Mask took the crystal.

"Who's that?" Jupiter asked.

"I'll explain later. Jedite, why did..."

"I don't know!" He cut her off sharply. "But we don't have it. We're 0 for 2, now. We keep this up, the world is doomed. Another failure to the pile." Jedite replied.

"Are you all right?" Jupiter asked. But Jedite shrugged, and walked back towards the church. His shoulders slumped, head down. Shuffling as if he couldn't even lift up his legs. The Scouts wondered if they should have chased him.

"Is he all right?" Jupiter asked. Serena didn't know anymore.


	60. Terrible Performance

"So, the crystal is lost?" Beryl was exceedingly displeased as Zoicite and Malachite stood in front of her.

"Yes, my Queen." Zoicite replied.

"You are aware of how important this is to our mission, Zoicite." Beryl wasted no time in chiding her subordinates. "Without every single Rainbow Crystal, we will be unable to acquire the Imperium Silver Crystal. Not even one can slip our grasp. Now, who was this man who took the Rainbow Crystal?"

"I had only seen him once before, Majesty." Zoicite elaborated on the strange "security guard" that he had seen.

"And he has never been seen before?" Beryl asked.

"Not by me, Majesty." Zoicite explained. "Only at that Princess Diamond's party, where he clashed with Nephrite. But he knew my name."

"By name, you say?" Beryl was intrigued.

"I can think of only one possibility, he was the person Nephrite sold us out to." Zoicite was quick to speak. "The one who knew how to recognize youma must have been him. Perhaps Nephrite was speaking to him there."

"_Even now, he thinks only of Nephrite as the traitor." _Beryl nearly laughed. It was the least likely explanation.

"And you are certain he was the one who took the crystal?" Beryl asked.

"No, Majesty. He attacked, I evaded, and then took the crystal. When I made my way back, he was engaged with Tuxedo Mask."

"Truly?" This became even more interesting. So this mysterious man was not allied with the Sailor Scouts? Tuxedo Mask always showed up to help them. It was either infighting, which Beryl had yet to hear about, or he was someone else, believed to be a foe. That could be used against the Sailor Scouts.

"For now, Majesty, we are dealing with this man. If he shows up again while we are obtaining the rest of the crystals, we will overpower him and force him to return the crystals. And then, we'll eliminate him." Malachite acted in quick defense.

"Well, then, Malachite. Bring back the next crystal, and if he returns, I expect no mercy."

"By your leave, Majesty." Zoicite bowed. "Black Crystal, reveal the next holder of a Rainbow Crystal!" Zoicite commanded the black crystal to reveal the next target. This one was a boy, a teenager, in a school uniform. Greg Urawa.

"I expect to see it presently." Beryl commanded.

* * *

In a quiet corner of the base, Malachite saw that Zoicite was uneasy.

"Is there something wrong, my pet?" Malachite only took this informal tone with Zoicite, and, with the other generals gone, he could do it without worrying about being spied on.

"Oh, Malachite." Zoicite smiled in his presence. "I am just thinking of this odd man. His energy signature was so unusual."

"You were caught off guard." Malachite spoke in a softer tone. "You weren't expecting his attacks. You are still more formidable."

"I know, Malachite." Zoicite replied. "His attacks were strong, but nothing I won't be able to handle the next time I see that man."

"So what is bothering you?"

"It was his energy." Zoicite replied. "I can't exactly explain it, but I feel like I've felt it before."

"You saw him at that event, did you not?" Malachite comforted his lover. "That was where you felt it."

"I know." Zoicite did not seem convinced. "But I cannot help as though I had felt it before. Who could it be?"

"Don't concern yourself." Malachite replied. "When we catch him, take the crystal back, and eliminate him, it won't be an issue anymore."

"You're right, of course. As always." Zoicite cheered up a bit. "I should get that next crystal, and then eliminate that man and take his back. Then it won't matter. To me, you, or Beryl."

"Good. You will need that focus. Best get to it before Beryl gets angrier."

* * *

"Aww, look at that horrible mark." Serena moped as exam results were posted. As could be expected, hers landed at the bottom of the pile.

Cheers and moans were held as other students looked at their exam results.

"Well, Serena, we just spectacularly bombed that one." Lita saw her own exam results: Only slightly better than Serena's.

"Oh, Mom's gonna fry me." Serena moped. It wasn't all of her fault. Being a superhero tended not to leave much free time for other things. And if that wasn't enough, between looking out for Molly, and now, realizing Jedite was taking the whole Nephrite thing the hardest, it wasn't exactly an environment that cultivated studying.

"I know what you're thinking, Serena, and maybe we should have studied. We can't blame all of this on everything else that happens." Lita chided, taking care to avoid disclosure, being in a public place.

"Hey, Amy!" Lita called before Serena could retort.

"Look at you, Amy." Serena remarked. "One point off from a perfect score."

"I know, one question. I'm so disappointed in myself. I should have studied a little harder. And only 2nd place, too."

"_Great. Make the rest of us look even lazier." _Serena thought to herself.

"But Greg really deserves it." Amy smiled.

"Who's Greg?" Lita asked.

"He got the perfect score." Amy remarked. Sure enough, the name on the front of the perfect score stated "Greg Urawa." Serena had never seen him before, was he new.

"Amy, who is he?" Lita asked.

"He's a new transfer student. Oh look, there he is. Hello, Greg, congratulations." Amy smiled at a boy with short, brown hair. Kinda cute, if one was into nerds."

Greg laughed nervously, and darted off quickly, blushing as he went. Amy giggled.

"He's so shy. I would have introduced you, but he seems to have darted off." Amy laughed. Serena cocked her head oddly and looked at Amy as she spoke of Greg.

Did she have a crush? Now that was prime gossip.

* * *

"Hey, Amy. Serena and I were going to head over to Jed's apartment after he gets off of work. Do you wanna come?" Serena asked, taking care to use Jed's disguised name since they were in the crowd.

"I'm free, if that's what you're asking. How come?" Amy asked. Lita realized that she had not yet had a chance to tell Amy and Raye what she and Serena had witnessed in the graveyard. Jedite was overly hard on himself, and it had to be more than simply him losing the crystal to Tuxedo Mask. His abject fury at Zoicite only cemented it.

So Serena and Lita had decided that, on a day his acting schedule wasn't that busy, they would go and see him to spend some time with him. They would be discreet, of course: Jedite hated it when people hovered around him as if he was injured. But bringing Amy along might have helped even more. He was smart, like she was. She could approach him in that fashion.

Serena's interest may have been purely a friendly concern, but Lita was also using it as a gauging point. If she helped him feel better, perhaps he'd feel differently about her, and want to be her boyfriend. He only knew her as the cook and Sailor Jupiter. He needed to see her in the sympathetic light.

"We can discuss that part later." Lita noted casually, making sure to avoid any mention of Scout business in public. Amy got the hint.

"We should call Raye, too."

"Oh, I think she has a date with Darien today." Raye brushed off. "They're going to karate together, I think. Those two mean folks are made for each other."

"Raye does karate?" Lita asked. "So do I!" She smiled.

"Then why don't we meet at Fruit Crown Parlor after school. We can hang out there a bit before Jedite gets off work, since it's close by to his apartment. Bring your books too, girls. It's actually a nice place to study."

"Studying. Didn't we already have a test?" Serena groaned.

"And we did so well on it too." Lita commented sarcastically.

"You two are hopeless sometimes. I can see why Luna is so frustrated."

* * *

On a quick lunch break from shooting a few scenes, Jedite stared into the cup of coffee the waitress had made for him. Black, strong, bitter going down. He watched it steadily lose more and more of it's warmth.

Most of his time off was spent like this, his mind wandering. He felt like the cast-off failure again. All the perfect acting and the praise of the newspapers and the show's crew couldn't shake it. What would that matter if Beryl got the crystal?

True, he was able to fend of Zoicite, albeit in a reckless fashion. But Tuxedo Mask proved a very harsh lesson: Not everyone was an ally to him. Despite saving the Sailor Scouts on a number of occasions, Tuxedo Mask showed his true colors as he stole the second Rainbow Crystal from Jedite. And, having used all his energy fighting Zoicite, there was little Jedite could use aside from a few wimpy attacks and harsh language.

"Hey, buddy!" Jedite heard Darien's voice from another side of the café.

"Hello." Jedite replied. He wasn't sure if he was in the mood for company, but Darien was as stubborn as he was persuasive. Sure enough, he took a seat in the opposite booth.

"How's it shaking?" Darien smiled.

"Pretty good, I suppose. Scene shooting is going well. Expect a chase scene of driving and shooting."

"Sounds exciting. I'll make sure me and Raye catch it." Darien smiled.

"Tell me of your classes. The medicine." Jedite was eager to push the topic off himself. Humans could be vain sometimes when it came to their lives. And Darien took the bait, and discussed his classes. Jedite didn't understand very much about human anatomy and biology, but he tried to follow as best he could.

"Well, I should get back to the shoot." Jedite smiled. "Sorry, I have to cut it short."

"Uhh...no problem, buddy. I'll catch you later." Darien sat at his seat as Jedite walked out. He donned his jacket as he went outside, an unseen chill caused him to shiver. Just as it had many other times.


	61. The Reveal

Film session finished earlier than Jedite thought it would today. With not much else to do, he decided to head back to his apartment. He wasn't much for going out and being social to begin with, but after his disastrous performance in the graveyard against Tuxedo Mask, he wanted to practice his telekinesis. Get stronger, be more powerful. Be able to beat the both of them, and keep the crystals. That was important.

Jedite walked by a number of shops, and browsed the windows for a bit. Some of the items for sale were quite appealling, but Jedite didn't need them at the moment. Still, it made for a nice distraction, a moment of getting away from his thoughts.

He got lost for a moment in looking at the window, but his mind was immediately brought back to reality by feeling another strange, powerful energy nearby.

"_Again?" _Jedite looked around. Another source of powerful energy. He seemed to attract them. Then again, so did the Sailor Scouts, who tended to stumble across the Negaverse's plans.

He looked around. There were many people on the streets: Finding the person wouldn't be easy, especially since Jedite needed to be discreet. Accosting someone on a busy street was not wise.

He took a few paces down the street. The energy was not large, and similar to that of Father Brooks. Was it another Rainbow Crystal carrier? It had to be. Jedite didn't sense any dark energy nearby, so Zoicite couldn't be around. Was he after a different target, or had he not made his move yet?

Jedite stayed still. If he could at least determine who this target was, perhaps they could get the crystal before Zoicite could. At the moment, Jedite did not know of a way to extract the Rainbow Crystal, but if he could lock a target down, perhaps Luna might have known something. The Crescent Moon Wand Serena used had the ability to return the changed youma to their original forms, and it could detect the Rainbow Crystals, apparently. There should have been some trick to extracting them, and then quickly reverting the youma back.

Jedite looked around. There were too many people around to get a clear mark, but the energy signature was close, and not moving. Whoever this Rainbow Crystal holder was, he or she was stationary.

Jedite took a seat on a nearby bench and looked around, trying to see who wasn't moving. He wasn't near a bus stop, so there weren't a lot of people nearby that weren't moving. There was a salaryman checking his watch and waiting against a building, a quite beautiful woman messing with some parcels, and a schoolboy looking at a nearby train map.

"_Three possibles." _Jedite thought. He continued to sit on the bench, casting glances at the three stationary targets. The energy source did not move, so it had to be one of them. But without intense concentration, he couldn't pick out which one it was. And in this crowd, people would wonder what it was he was doing.

The salaryman might be waiting for someone, but the schoolboy and the pretty woman shouldn't be long in their tasks. If the energy moved when they left, then it was one of them. If not, it was the salaryman.

Jedite adjusted the collar of his jacket. All he had to do was not overextend himself. That would get things done. The woman was finished quickly, and walked past Jedite, with her packages. Nothing from her. Soon after that, the schoolboy walked in the other direction towards the train station. And that was when the energy moved.

So the target was a teenaged boy. Jedite stood up and began to tail him. If he could figure out where the boy lived, that would make things easier when the scouts had to move.

* * *

Serena was waiting for Amy and Lita at Fruit Crown Parlor. It was so weird, being the first person to arrive. Normally she was the last person to arrive to things like Scout meetings, and the first thing Raye mentioned was how Serena was always late. And now she was the first to arrive.

"_Typical. The first time I'm early and Raye isn't showing up for me to rub it in her face. She'd never believe me." _Serena sighed. She ordered a soda from Lizzie, that friend of Andrew's she met at Jedite's housewarming party, and waited for Amy and Lita.

As she waited, to her surprise, she saw Molly sitting a few booths down. She had gone to class ever since the trip to Yokohama, but she was very quiet, ate by herself during lunch, and only answered Ms. Haruna's questions in class when called on.

She had time, Amy and Lita weren't around yet. She could definitely spend some time with Molly for a minute.

"Hey, Moll, this seat taken?" Serena asked cheerfully, bringing over her soda.

"Oh, hi, Serena." Molly smiled. "Sure, you can join me if you want!" She smiled at offered the opposite seat.

"How are you today?" Serena asked.

"Pretty good. It's too bad we never got to see the Sailor V movie." Molly remarked.

"That's okay. Melvin started going back into his museum and bug phase again. Where'd you run off too?" Serena already knew, but Molly didn't know that: She only saw Sailor Moon there. But if Molly told her, maybe Serena could get Molly to open up a bit.

"I went to talk to a priest." Molly answered. "We were at a church, so there had to be a priest there. And, with Nephrite, you know, I wanted to talk to a spiritual person." Molly did not seem about to cry, but she was still quite sad.

"You know, Molly, we're all here for you if you need us. Me, Amy, all of us. Even Melvin. If you ever need us, just ask."

"Well...maybe. Do you remember your friend Jed, the actor?" Molly started, and Serena was surprised. She thought Jedite was some kind of villain or other, the enemy of "Maxfield Stanton."

"Yeah, I remember him, but what do you want with him?" Serena asked.

"Something really important." Molly remarked, and Serena knew she wouldn't get anything else out of her.

"You know, Moll, we've been friends forever. There's nothing you can't tell me."

"I know, Serena. But this isn't about you or me. It's something that only he can answer. So, is he still staying at that temple with that Raye friend of yours?"

"No, he isn't. He got a new apartment. But, Moll, he...he told me about you and Maxfield Stanton. He wasn't the bad guy in all of this. He works with Sailor Moon." Serena had to dissuade.

"Serena, I just really want to talk to him. Will you tell me?" Molly insisted.

"Well..."

"Hey, Serena!" Amy and Lita called as the two of them walked over.

"You guys are late." Serena noted. "I was the first one here."

"Had to happen eventually." Lita snarked with the accuracy of Raye.

"We were looking for my friend Greg, but he seems to be out. I wanted to introduce you to him. Oh, hello Molly. I didn't know you were here." Amy smiled.

"I just ran into Serena." Molly acknowledged.

"My name's Lita, I recently transferred here, and I go to your school. Serena's mentioned you, she said you two have been friends forever. And she says good things." Lita laughed as she introduced herself.

"Hello!" Molly smiled. "Where you are three off too."

"We're headed to Jed's apartment." Lita remarked.

"Really?" Molly asked. Serena groaned inwardly. With Molly's connection to Nephrite, she had no idea what she would attempt with Jedite.

"So you've met him already?" Lita asked innocently. Serena looked towards Amy, hoping that the two of them could somehow stop this conversation. They couldn't discuss Sailor business without Molly around.

"Oh yeah. How's he doing, I haven't seen him in a while. I hear he got a new apartment." Molly smiled.

"Yeah. We're headed there now. Did you want to come?" Lita asked.

"Not right now." Molly replied. "But if you could give me the address, I'd love to drop by and see him."

"Sure. Hang on." Lita quickly fished in her purse, and grabbed the first writing utensil she could find: Her lipstick. She wrote the address on Molly's napkin.

"I just hope when your mom finds it, she doesn't think it's a love note." Lita teased. Molly laughed in response and put the napkin in her own purse.

"_Uh-oh."_ Serena thought. She strongly doubted Molly would go over there to attempt revenge on Jedite: It made no sense. But what was she going to ask him. Serena was curious to know. And Molly was offering no answers.

* * *

Jedite trailed the schoolboy down the busy Tokyo streets. Trying his best to keep his distance, he watched the youth walk towards the train station. This station went all over the city, so Jedite couldn't gather a location based on that.

So Jedite acted as if he was waiting for the train, and bought a ticket. He had nowhere else to be at the moment. The boy waited patiently for the train to appear, and Jedite leaned against a billboard, keeping a close eye on the schoolboy. There was no mistaking it, the powerful energy signature was definitely from him.

Jedite briefly wondered if that meant this boy had unusual powers. According to Serena and Lita, Game Machine Joe had telekinesis, although not on the level of Jedite's, it set him apart from other humans. Father Brooks didn't appear to have any powers, although Jedite never stuck around to figure it out. The man was perceptive enough to pick up on Jedite's depression, and Molly's too, it seemed. Perhaps he could sense energy.

This boy could have any number of powers. Jedite needed to be on his guard. The train, and the crowd began to board. Jedite decided to stand, rather than sit down. When the kid moved, he'd be ready. The kid himself sat on a seat near the door, but soon after getting on, stood up to offer it to a woman a young child. He stood near the door, right next to Jedite. The train lurched a bit as it began to leave the station, causing the boy to collide right into Jedite roughly.

"Oh!" The boy stated. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right, kid." Jedite replied. "Grip on tightly. You must be new in town." Jedite engaged the lad in conversation. Striking up a friendship would be the easiest way to get to get close.

"Yes." The lad replied. "I didn't think they'd shake this much. Sorry if I dirtied up your jacket."

"Dry cleaners are made for accidents." Jedite laughed as the train came to the next station. The lad didn't appear to be getting off.

"Again, really sorry, Jed...errr...Jed. Sorry, Jed." The schoolboy stated, and immediately Jedite's eyes narrowed. He knew his name, his human name, just like that? Jedite was in his Harvey Sigurd disguise, so he could have expected the boy to guess the name of the celebrity, but to poke through and know his real name?

"How did you know my name?" Jedite asked. The boy didn't answer, he said nothing. As the buzzer sounded for the doors to close, the lad quickly jumped through the shutting doors and out of the train. He turned around and looked at Jedite as the train pulled away. There wasn't a smug look of satisfaction in his face. Instead, the boy had a look of surprise, as if stating Jedite's human name had given him away. As Jedite went on his way to the next station, he replayed the conversation in his mind, to make sure he had not introduced himself. He didn't, but on the subject of his name, the lad had stuttered when saying "Jed", only to correct himself later. But he still said Jed as if he hadn't made the mistake.

Was he attempting to say Jedite? Not just penetrating Jedite's disguise, did he know that Jedite wasn't even human?


	62. Love is Shy

"Oh, hello." Jedite responded to a knock on his apartment door in order to see Serena, Amy, and Lita all standing in his doorway.

"Hi! This a bad time?" Serena asked cheerfully. Somehow, that girl managed to force her way in even was it was a bad time for her. And truly, it wasn't.

"It's a good thing you're here, actually. I was about to call. I think I've found our next Rainbow Crystal carrier." Jedite noted as he brought the girls inside.

"Really?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, after spending time around the other Rainbow Crystal holder, that priest, I was able to get a feel on what the energy is like. I felt another while I was in town today."

"Great, who is he?" Lita asked.

"I didn't get his name." Jedite stated. "I only bumped into him on the train. And there's another problem: He knows who I am."

The girls all seemed in shock.

"He knows you're Jedite?" Lita asked.

"I'm not sure. But I was dressed as Harvey Sigurd, and he guessed my name was Jed off the bat. And then he stuttered, as if he prevented himself from saying my real name. Not a lot to go on, but his energy was definitely like that of Father Brooks."

"Was Zoicite after him?" Serena asked.

"I didn't sense him. He got off the train at Shinagawa just as the doors were closing. He could have gone anywhere from there."

"What did he look like?"

"Well, he was your age. Short, brown hair. He mentioned he was new in town when I tried to speak to him. But that's all before he mentioned my name and I became suspicious."

"New in town, brown hair. Wow, it sounds like your friend Greg, Amy. The really smart one."

"It does. But how many people like that can there be in this city." Amy replied.

"So that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Jedite replied. "What brings you all here?"

"We just...wanted to drop by. That's all. See how you were, see if you were liking the new place." Serena laughed.

"Of course. Did Raye ask me to move back into the temple, or something?"

"No. We were just curious." Serena replied.

"Could you tell me a little about life in the Negaverse?" Lita asked, a question from left field that surprised everyone else present, Jedite most of all.

"What?" Lita asked. "No one's ever asked that question?"

"Well, considering that most of my time was spent attempting to destroy the world and fight the Sailor Scouts, it's not exactly something I discuss."

"Well, what about the other times?" Lita asked.

"I spent it thinking it up new plans to gather energy which would destroy the world." Jedite replied. Lita sighed.

"How is the show going? Any spoilers you can sneak to us?" Serena talked in a teasing fashion.

"You two are weird." Jedite crossed his arms across his chest. "We should be finding this Rainbow Crystal holder, not leisurely chatting away."

"But he could be anywhere. We can't just search the entire town. The detection on the wand only goes so far." Serena returned.

Jedite paused. It was true, what Serena said. They had no way of detecting him. Searching the whole city using Jedite's energy scan would leave him too drained to do anything about it.

"So why don't we go out and get something to eat! Spend the evening together, feel good!" Serena remarked.

"I'll pass." Jedite replied. "I've an early day tomorrow. Go enjoy yourselves, I'll be all right."

"Why not come with us for a little?" Lita offered. "Sure you can't spare any time?"

"No thanks. An outing like that turns into a photo-op. And then they get extended with reporters and the like. I think I'm just going to take it easy tonight."

The girls all looked at him quizzically. But eventually Amy nodded, and moved to leave. Serena and Lita soon followed. Jedite saw them out. He wasn't in the mood for social activities today. He needed to rest up before he could find this Rainbow Crystal holder. He'd be ready for Zoicite the next time he moved.

* * *

Serena and Amy split ways with Lita to head back home. Serena was moping the entire time. Her plan to check up on Jedite wasn't working, and now he seemed more miserable than ever.

"You can't force things." Amy stated.

"Huh?" Serena asked.

"I know what you're thinking, and getting through things is an individual process. You can't just snap your fingers and Jedite is instantly over what happened."

"I know." Serena replied. "I just wanted to help out."

"And I'm sure he appreciates it, but give him a little space too. His work will help him get back to normal, the rest is on him. Just be supportive, not overbearing. I'm going to head to the hospital to check on my mother. I'll see you tomorrow!" Amy waved as she crossed the street.

Serena yawned as she continued down the street. Perhaps a nap would be a good idea. But as she walked down the street, she noticed a face that was somewhat familiar. There was a young boy standing on the sidewalk, looking across the street.

"Hiya!" Serena called out to him. If she could get a good look at his face, maybe she could recognize him. He turned to face her, and quickly, Serena realized it was that friend of Amy's she had met today: Greg Urawa. The really smart guy.

"Oh, it's Greg, right! Hey there. Remember me, I'm Serena, Amy's friend."

"Oh! Yeah. Hi." Greg stated nervously.

"What are you doing out here?" Serena asked.

"I was...I was headed home. Hey, was Amy just with you?" He asked.

"She went to check on her mom. Did you need her? What do you need a study-buddy for, you're the smartest guy in school."

"Nothing like that." Greg replied nervously. "I just thought I saw her. That's all."

"Trying to sneak a peek?" Serena teased. This was too much: So Greg had a crush on Amy. It was just too perfect. Unlike the rest of the girls, Amy was the only one who never seemed to pursue having a boyfriend. Perhaps she never found the right guy. And who better for her than the resident genius, one who already knew her from before.

"Hey, if you want to get all the dirt on Amy, look no further. I was her first friend here, and we've spent lots of time together. Treat me to a soda and I'll dish it out. I think I've got a few candid photos in my purse." She laughed. This was great.

"Ummm..." Greg seemed nervous. Perhaps he was just shy around the whole dating idea. Amy was too, perhaps geniuses just weren't very forward about love. Yet another reason not to try so hard at school.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Serena promised.

"Well...I guess. I never did have any photos of Amy." Greg shrugged, and laughed a bit.

"Great! Let's go right now!" Serena laughed.

"Hang on, I need to go get my wallet. I live right down the block, just a sec." Greg turned around and headed down the street a bit. Serena opened her purse in order to see if she still had those pictures she took last week. As she opened it, she heard a slight buzzing noise, and a tiny light emitting from her purse.

This had happened before, once before. Back at Yokohama, just before the battle with Zoicite. There was a Rainbow Crystal nearby.

Jedite had described the person he saw, and Amy said that his description matched that of Greg. Was it more than just a coincidence?


	63. Defied Fate

Serena eagerly slurped down her milkshake as Greg sat opposite her. She wasn't sure what was more interesting, the fact that the Crescent Moon Wand seemed to react to Greg, or that he had a crush on Amy.

She'd call the Scouts about Greg once she had a free moment, but this was too juicy to pass up. Besides, as long as Greg was in her sights, he was safe from Zoicite or whoever else was looking for him.

"So when did you and Amy meet?" Serena asked, and Greg told her the tale of how he and Amy met, at the State Exams. Greg did really well, but it was Amy who came in first place.

"Wow, two brains head to head. I guess it's romantic." Serena giggled.

"It wasn't for very long I knew her." Greg elaborated. "Afterwards, my dad transferred, and now I see her again."

"So you looking for a rematch?" Serena asked.

"No. I like Amy, she's nice, and smart. I didn't think someone like her would even notice me."

"Well, she notices, and she cares. So take the next step, and ask her out!" Serena insisted.

"What?" Greg blushed. "No way."

"What? Why not!"

"She's just turn me down. A girl like her with a guy like me? No way. Besides, I don't know how to do that sort of stuff."

"So you're worried about asking her out? Well, that's no big deal, you can leave that to me." Serena started to giggle. "I know just the way. I'll set up a meeting after school then forget to show up. It's a classic!" Serena laughed.

Greg laughed nervously.

"Oh relax, just be yourself. Amy's not just a bookworm and neither are you. You can do it, I know you can."

"Umm...thanks. Serena."

"In fact, forget after school. I've got a better idea for right now!" Serena jumped up. "Just you wait!"

"Umm...Serena!" Greg called out, but Serena had already gotten halfway out the door, giggling as she went.

* * *

It was around 8:00, and Jedite was quietly reading in the living room of his apartment when there was a knock on the door.

"_Who could that be?" _Jedite thought. Raye and Darien were still on their date. Perhaps it was Lita? She always seemed to like dropping by. Jedite put a bookmark in his book, and went to the door to open it.

However, it wasn't Lita at the door, or any of the Sailor Scouts. Standing in the doorway was Molly, Serena's friend. The one that was close to Nephrite.

"_What was she doing here?" _Jedite thought. She wasn't told where his apartment was, and even if Serena somehow blabbed it, which may or may not have been the case, Molly was there when Nephrite died. She would know that it was Zoicite, not him, that delivered the killing blow.

"Hello, Jed." Molly was cheerful, and Jedite couldn't get a good read on her. Her energy was a chaotic mix of a deep despair and a desire to be happy.

"Good evening, Molly. I am sorry, but Serena isn't here, if you're looking for her."

"Oh, I know that. I saw her earlier. I didn't come here for Serena. I wanted to see you."

"Me?" Jedite was confused. But there was very little Molly could do. Despite her powerful energy, she was but a human. A human would be hard-pressed to harm him.

"Come in." He offered. Molly made her way inside.

"This is a really nice apartment." Molly complimented.

"Well, I'll be sure to pass that on to the studio." Jedite replied. "What bring you here?"

"I wanted to ask you something." Molly replied, taking a seat on the couch.

"What is it?" Jedite was uncertain what would come out of this girl's mouth.

"I wanted to ask you about Nephrite." Molly stated, something that threw Jedite for a loop.

"You're asking me?" Jedite asked. "I didn't..."

"I know he was looking for you, Jed, or whatever your name is. He said you two worked together, and then you left. You had to know him." Molly insisted. Jedite wasn't exactly sure what to say to this girl.

He would be as vague as possible, and never mention the Sailor Scouts.

"I worked with him, yes. But most of the time I was on my own. There were four of us, with strange powers. You've already met one of the others, and you can figure out why I don't like him. And the fourth, well, he was the reason I left in the first place." Jedite wasn't sure exactly how far he could go with this girl. The more she knew, the more at risk she could be. She had already attempted to fight Zoicite in the graveyard, and intervening further could have been fatal for her.

"So why did you leave?" Molly asked.

"My hand was forced, and Sailor Moon appeared. We battled constantly, but the second I had nowhere to go, it was she who gave me a new life. I've lost much, but I've gained more. And I think Nephrite wanted to leave too. He told me...he told me one night, when I thought he was only around to fight, he asked if there were things were saving in this world."

"Worth saving?" Molly asked.

"He meant you, Molly. He wanted to save you, even at the end. It was a path he never would have taken before. You meant a lot to him, Molly."

"I know." Molly stated sadly. "I miss him so much. I wanted to know more about him from the only person who might have known him. I'm sorry, Nephrite."

"You shouldn't be sorry." Jedite returned. "I was in a position capable of saving him, and I didn't move fast enough."

"I don't think so." Molly noted. "That umm, what was his name, Zoicite, that Zoicite wouldn't have waited. I don't think he would have stopped for anything. He wanted that weird crystal Nephrite had. It wouldn't have mattered how early you got there, I don't think."

"You...I'm surprised, I would've thought you'd hate me."

"Nephrite told me you weren't the bad guy, and I saw who it really was at that graveyard. Zoicite's the monster."

"Well, Molly, leave him to the Sailor Scouts and me. We can handle him, we've done so before. Just concentrate on getting your life back. That's what Nephrite would want."

"Oh, I will." Molly smiled. "But if I ever run into Zoicite again, he'll regret it."

"Don't seek trouble. He's a dangerous person." Jedite cautioned, but he knew Molly had made up her mind. She was very much that girl in love. There was little Jedite could do to dissuade her.

"Be that your choice." Jedite acknowledged. He'd have to float that by the Scouts.

"Don't blame yourself, Jed. What happened wasn't your fault. It was all Zoicite. Well, thanks for indulging me. I'll be going now." Molly smiled as Jedite escorted her out. Once the apartment was quiet, Jedite went out onto his balcony and looked at the moon. Despite everything that happened, Molly was still quite determined. Foolish to the extreme, but she was getting her life back. She wasn't blaming herself for what happened, she just moved forward.

And if that was the case, maybe it should have been the same for Jedite too.

* * *

Greg stood outside to wait for Serena and Amy. His palms were sweating as he thought of what Serena was planning. A date with Amy? While the idea was fascinating, it made Greg exceedingly nervous. What would he say, or do? Would she enjoy it? It made him so nervous.

He inhaled a deep breath, but then he began to hear laughter from above him. Looking up, he noticed a figure seated on the metal awning above the restaurant.

"Well, hello. Little boy." The slender man greeted. Greg knew this was no civil greeting. He knew exactly who that man was.

"Zoicite!" He called out the man's name. Ever since Greg was born, he knew that he had a gift. Precognition, the ability to glimpse into the future. And ever since he moved here, he had been getting better at it. He knew this man was Zoicite, an agent of the Negaverse, who wanted the Rainbow Crystal buried within his body. He saw what the future held in store for him, and not Amy, the other Sailor Scouts, or Jedite, the Negaverse agent who defected and tailed him earlier today, could help him now.

"How did you know my name!"

"I can see the future." Greg stated plainly. "I know what's going to happen to me."

"Oh, good. This makes it easy. If you don't resist, it'll probably be quicker. Just a second." Zoicite pulled the Black crystal from his sleeve.

"No!" Greg shouted. "I will not allow it!" Greg knew what the future would hold for him, but he wasn't going to go quietly. He had to resist as long as he could. Once the Sailor Scouts arrived, fortune would swing in their favor.

And that future he kept secret from Zoicite as Greg attempted to rush him.


	64. Saw It Coming

That boy knew Zoicite's name, and Zoicite had never seen this child before. It unnerved him just a little bit.

"_Premonitions?" _Zoicite wondered. If he could see into the future, than could he see what attacks Zoicite would throw? Surprise and sneak attacks were Zoicite's speciality. Not being able to do them could put a real damper on his plans.

But Zoicite could not be shaken. Premonitions or not this boy was a mere human. He rushed at Zoicite, attempting to ram him with his shoulder. A simple trick: Zoicite elegantly teleported out of the way. This little brat could defy all he liked, Zoicite knew how to deal with people like this.

"Zoi!" He attacked the kid from behind. He hadn't the time to react, and it knocked him to the ground.

"Hmph. So much for that." Zoicite shrugged and unleashed the Black Crystal's energy on the boy. He could feel the Rainbow Crystal inside the boy reacting.

"All right, here's number three." Zoicite shrugged. Beryl was being overly cautious, perhaps the revelation of Nephrite being traitor was unsettling her. Or she was just too used to Nephrite's failures to remember what real competence was like. That security guard was just a stumble: Zoicite would reclaim it from him as soon as he showed his face.

* * *

Amy wasn't exactly certain what it was Serena was doing when she came to the hospital to see her. Amy had finished checking up on her mother, and was about to head home, when Serena told her something very exciting was happening, and she wanted Amy to come.

"What is it?" Amy had asked, but Serena only giggled and lead her down the street. That girl could be so odd sometimes.

She appeared to be leading Amy towards the café her mother frequented on her breaks. Sometimes Amy ate with her mother here. But other than that, there was nothing special about this place.

But then Serena and Amy heard a shout. It was the sound of a young boy, crying out in pain.

"What was?" Amy immediately peeked around the corner to the sound of the voice. And there was a schoolboy face down on the ground, screaming. Above him was Zoicite, floating in the air, raining waves of energy from the Black Crystal he always carried.

So Zoicite was attacking the third Rainbow Crystal holder? Serena and Amy looked at each other, nodded, and quickly transformed once they were out of sight

"Moon Prism Power!" Serena declared.

"Mercury Power!" Amy followed quickly.

"That's enough from you, Zoicite!" Sailor Moon declared.

"Ergh. You again?" Zoicite did not seemed pleased.

"Whereever evil's around, I'll be there to thwart it. I am Sailor Moon, and your reign of terror ends here!"

"And I'm Sailor Mercury! How dare you think to harm an innocent boy for your evil ways. In the name of the planet Mercury, your game ends here!" The boy on the ground appeared to be getting up off the ground, and Mercury locked eyes with him. It was Greg! Her new academic rival and former State exam partner was a holder of a Rainbow Crystal.

"Mercury, get him out of here!" Sailor Moon instructed. "Call everyone else, too. Hurry!"

"Right." Sailor Mercury moved to Greg, who was conscious, but on the ground, and he didn't look very good. She gathered him up and placed him on her back. He was surprisingly light for his size.

"No you don't!" Zoicite shouted.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon counter-attacked, and Zoicite stopped. Sailor Mercury could not look back. She needed to get Greg someplace safe.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, until she reached a quiet park. No one was here, it would be the perfect place to rest and wait for the rest of the Scouts.

She fished for her communicator.

"What's up, Amy?" Raye was the one who answered.

"Your date with Darien is over? Come to the park right away near the hospital. Zoicite's made a move."

"She has? Okay!" Raye was quick to hang up and get ready. Lita too, was quickly on the move. It was then that Amy realized she had no way to get in contact with Jedite to enlist his assistance. He had always been living with Raye, so Raye could get a hold of him easily, but now with his apartment, Amy needed to be around a telephone. That wasn't so easily done.

There wasn't a phone nearby, so Amy fished out the communicator again in order to get Raye or Lita to do it. The things one didn't think of until a crisis happened, Amy laughed to herself.

As she moved to, however, Greg started to stir. She immediately moved over to him. She couldn't potentially put either her or Jedite's secret identity at risk. The more people knew, the more chances it could find it's way back to the Negaverse.

"Are you all right?" She asked as Greg regained consciousness.

"Y...yeah. Amy, I'm fine." Greg replied. Amy was stunned by what he said. There was no possible way he could know she was Sailor Mercury. He must have been delirious, thinking she was her civilian form.

"Amy?" Amy bluffed. "I'm Sailor Mercury. Greg, try not to move too much. You've been attacked."

"By Zoicite." Greg stated. "For the Negaverse." Amy was surprised by how much Greg knew. Did Zoicite mention it to him before he attacked?

"Amy, there's no need to hide from me." Greg called her Amy again. "The power of the Rainbow Crystal inside my body give me the power of precognition. I can see into the future, Amy. I know things before they could happen. It's why I did so well on the State exams. And I've seen this day many times in my mind. I know what I will become. It's fate. I already know what's going to happen to me."

"Greg, I am Sailor Mercury." Amy insisted. "And what's going to happen to you is you're going to resume your life after this...interlude. You'll be fine. Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts are on it. You make your own fate, not the other way around.

"I..." Greg looked at her oddly. And then he sat up in his seat.

"It's a good thought...Sailor Mercury." Greg smiled at her. Amy wasn't sure what it meant when Greg talked of premonitions, but the path of the world couldn't follow a single, pre-determined path. There was no point to such a life. There were things to learn, choices to make. So much to accomplish. To say it was fated was an insult to all the struggles had by the people who worked, and those that came before them.

"Hahahaha!" Amy could hear Zoicite's laughter nearby. So they were found. Sailor Moon and the other scouts were nowhere around. Amy had to hold on. If Greg believed what he saw this day was that he would become a youma, then it was Amy's job to break him of that. Greg deserved a normal life as much as any of the Rainbow Crystal holders.

Zoicite teleported in, hovering overtop of the pond.

"Mercury Bubbles..." Mercury started to attack, but Zoicite quickly unleashed an attack of his own.

"Out of the way!" He stated coldly. "Now, little boy. Submit to your former master!" He unleashed the Black Crystal on Greg again.

* * *

Sailor Moon had managed to stall Zoicite as long as she could, before Zoicite managed to teleport away. Now she wasn't certain where Amy had run off to.

But knowing Amy, she had already managed to call the Scouts. She could get a quick page into Lita, and see where they were to meet up. That way, she could avoid an unnecessary earful from Raye. Raye would blame her even if she wasn't at fault.

Lita said they were headed to the park. And Sailor Moon needed to hear no more. If Zoicite was already there, she'd have to hurry.

As she reached the park, she could see Zoicite, hovering above the ground. It was easy to make out that weasel anywhere, particularly since he was one of the few people Sailor Moon knew that could hover. Sailor Mercury was also there, getting to her feet. And lastly, there was a bright column of light.

"Greg, no!" Sailor Mercury reached towards the light. So the Rainbow Crystal was emerging. Zoicite couldn't get another crystal. But Sailor Moon watched as the yellow jewel flew out of the column of light towards Zoicite's awaiting grasp.

Until there was a slight snapping sound, and the crystal fell into the pond. A pretty red rose was implanted in the railing.

"That crystal won't be used for your wicked ways." A familiar male voice taunted Zoicite.

"No! More meddlers!" Zoicite growled. So Tuxedo Mask had come! Sailor Moon could see him perched on a street lamp. But Jedite had mentioned last time that he was only after the crystals. Jedite wouldn't lie about that. What was that man after? Sailor Moon hoped she could still trust him.


	65. Going Forward

Everything was happening so fast, Amy barely had time to react. It was too late to stop Greg from turning into a youma, Amy could see the Rainbow Crystal emerge from the column of light that enveloped him.

She felt bad. She had told Greg to forge his own fate in spite of his visions of the future, and now he was turning into a youma. She had to save him. She had to bring Greg back to his normal form.

She turned angrily towards Zoicite, whom she knew would leave the second the crystal was in his possession. However, before the crystal could make its way to the general, it fell into a nearby pond. And Amy could see a rose embedded in the railing next to the pool. Tuxedo Mask had arrived.

"More meddlers!" Zoicite stated angrily. If what happened at the graveyard was correct, Tuxedo Mask was more interested in the crystal than the youma. But it was at the bottom of the pond now. Jedite had told Amy once that telekinesis was limited, that one could only use it if they knew what they were doing. Zoicite would not have been able to see into the bottom of that pond to find the crystal, and Tuxedo Mask didn't have such powers either, to Amy's knowledge. That would be enough to prevent the both of them from leaving, give Mars and Jupiter a chance to arrive, and, most importantly, let Greg be healed.

"Sailor Moon, quickly!"

"Right." She looked towards the column of light, which was starting to fade. In it's place was a large monster, covered in white armor, with various sharp implements all over its arms.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon called quickly. Youma seemed to follow the Shitennou, so getting rid of that, aside from healing Greg, could only help once the Scouts had to deal with Zoicite, and potentially, Tuxedo Mask, for the crystal.

The soft light of the wand washed over the creature, and for a minute, it seemed calm. However, it soon subsided, and it began to move towards the Scouts.

"It didn't work!" Sailor Moon screamed before dodging one of the monster's sharp tools that it had flung at her like a knife.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Mercury gave her leader some cover.

"Run!" Sailor Mercury called to her leader as they retreated.

"Why didn't it work?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Maybe we need to wear him down first." Mercury returned. "I don't like the idea of hurting Greg, but we may not have a choice." The fog from her bubbles faded, and the youma that was Greg now turned it's head towards the two Scouts.

"Uh-oh!" Sailor Moon shuddered, and the monster moved towards her.

"Greg, no!" Amy shouted towards the monster. "You're not a monster, you're you. You're in charge of your own fate!" The monster paused for a moment.

"Listen to her." Zoicite laughed. "Go on, wipe out both Sailor Scouts and earn your place, my great youma!" Zoicite laughed before a rose cut him across the face.

"That crystal may be at the bottom of a pond, but I'll take care of you until I get it." Tuxedo Mask leapt from his stand, pulled out his cane, and aimed for Zoicite. Zoicite teleported out of the way to avoid Tuxedo Mask, who fell right into the pond.

"Well, you're all washed up." Zoicite laughed. "All right, now eliminate the Sailor Scouts!" He instructed the youma.

"No, Greg!" Amy shouted. The monster was locked in indecision. He had to hear her, somewhere in there. In a flash, the youma fired at Zoicite, a glancing blow that knocked him down to the ground.

"What!" Zoicite was knocked down, barely having the time to react.

"What's going on?" Mercury heard Sailor Mars's voice coming from behind.

"Great, you're here!" Mercury replied. "Quickly, we need to wear down that monster so Sailor Moon can heal him. Quick, before Zoicite gets back up!"

"Right! Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars quickly made a move.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Jupiter quickly followed. The two moves combined and collided straight into Greg.

"Don't leave me out, Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon delivered the finishing blow, and quickly brought Greg to his knees.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon quickly moved. The waves of light washed over the youma that was Greg again, but this time, they seemed to calm the monster, and make him glow. When the light faded, Greg was back to normal.

"Good!" Sailor Mercury was relived. She was going to get Greg and get him away from here. His premonition was wrong after all, he would regain his life. Mercury knew it was possible.

And once Greg was safe, the Scouts would move quickly to secure that Rainbow Crystal.

* * *

Sailor Moon saw Tuxedo Mask emerge from the water first. To her surprise, he was not coughing or sputtering of any kind. He swam towards the edge of the water and pulled himself out.

"Tuxedo Mask, are you all right?" Sailor Moon asked. He didn't seem to hear her, and instead, opened his hand, which was balled into a fist. When it opened, Sailor Moon noticed that he had the crystal in his hands.

"Is that the Rainbow Crystal." Sailor Moon asked him. He seemed surprised for a moment as he turned to see her.

"What are you doing with them?" Sailor Jupiter strode up.

"I need them." Was his only response. Sailor Moon was about to respond, before a whooshing noise from above cued the Scouts to Zoicite's presence.

"The crystal is mine!" Zoicite unleashed an attack straight at Tuxedo Mask, who took the hit. He staggered backwards a bit.

"Tuxedo Mask." Sailor Moon moved to assist, but he quickly placed the crystal out of sight, and jumped up to engage the general. As Sailor Moon watched, something golden seemed to fall out of his pocket. Quickly, Sailor Moon looked to see if it was the Rainbow Crystal, which was yellow, but it wasn't. It was much larger than the Moon Crystal, and it was shaped like a star. She grabbed it as it fell from the sky, so it wouldn't get damaged if it hit the ground.

She'd look at it later.

"We have to help Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon insisted.

"But he's taking the crystals." Sailor Mars insisted.

"Better him than Zoicite. At least if he has them, Queen Beryl can't use them." Sailor Mercury agreed.

"Okay. Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Sailor Jupiter attacked Zoicite, who was distracted by the blow.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars quickly retailated.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Mercury finished. Sailor Moon could hear Zoicite's growls as the fog obscured the view. When it faded. Both Zoicite and Tuxedo Mask were gone.

"Gone. With the crystal." Sailor Mars did not seem to think this was a victory.

"We'll need a plan to secure them from him." Sailor Mercury noted. "If he wanted to ally with us, he would have discussed it before now."

"Let's meet up at Jedite's apartment tomorrow. We'll need both Amy and him on this one." Sailor Mars agreed.

"All right, good night." The scouts found a quiet place to de-transform, in case of any prying eyes, and they started their walk home.

Now that she was alone, Serena took another look at the star-shaped object Tuxedo Mask dropped. She'd have to return it to him. Perhaps he'd give her the Rainbow Crystals in gratitude, if she asked.

It was a pendant, it dangled around a chain that Serena could fit around her neck. It appeared to be made of gold, whether it was gold was something Serena couldn't tell. It had a small cover on the front, and when she opened it, a very sweet melody began to play. A light, delicate tone that sent waves of nostaglia down Serena's body, even though she'd never heard the song before.

She put it around her neck so as not to drop it. It was a work of art, and it had to mean something to Tuxedo Mask. She wished it could tell her more about him. But it only played it's sweet, tinny tune.

* * *

On his apartment balcony, Tuxedo Mask held the Rainbow Crystal he had retrieved in his hand. The other Rainbow Crystal he had, the orange one from the priest in Yokohama he had wrested from Jedite, was sitting in a secure location in a safe. For now, the energy of the crystal wafted over him. The top hat and white tie faded, and soon, there was just a regular young man in a T-shirt, overcoat, and jeans.

Darien looked at the crystal. It hadn't been very long since he had been receiving the dreams. Every night he had been receiving them, waking him. They told him to find the Imperium Silver Crystal, made up of the seven Rainbow Crystals, and give them to the Princess of the Moon. She needed them, needed them so desperately.

Darien didn't understand it. He was just some college guy. An orphan trying to make something of his life, trying to become a doctor. He wasn't a superhero. But he was Tuxedo Mask, there was no getting around that, and the dreams felt so real. Speaking of real, the crystal in his hand was real. Zoicite was real. This dream wasn't a fake, Darien was sure of it.

He wasn't sure why he didn't work with the Sailor Scouts. They were dedicated to fighting the darkness of the Negaverse, who seemed to want the crystals as badly as Tuxedo Mask did, but Darien was certain nothing good was behind their intentions. They turned people into monsters and drained the energy of others.

But Darien's mission was not to stop the Negaverse, it was to find the crystals. They had their own reason to seek the crystals, and Darien had to consider their reasons separate from his. It was unfortunate he had to clash with Jedite in the graveyard, but Jedite worked with the Scouts. He would turn the crystals over to them. It was the same problem.

"Hello!" Darien heard a voice from his doorway, and he nearly panicked. Who was it? It wasn't late enough for a social call, but most people would call on the phone before coming over.

"Darien?" The voice called as Darien heard a door creak. "Darien, the door was open. Are you in here?" It was Jed's voice. Jed Hanson, his friend, the actor from down the hall.

Darien panicked, he couldn't let Jed see this crystal. Jed couldn't know anything about Tuxedo Mask. If he knew, that knowledge could get him into a lot of trouble.

"Jed!" Darien called back, hoping he was just concerned about the open door, and would be all right once it was known Darien was okay.

"Oh, you're on the balcony?" Jed called back. Thinking quickly, Darien slid the crystal into his back pocket. Jed stepped out.

"You left your door open a little." Jed smiled at him. The two hadn't known each other long, but they grew to be fast friends.

"Ooh..." Darien was embarrassed at that.

"Anyway, I wanted to know if you wanted to, y'know, head out tonight. Have some fun." Jed offered.

"You're usually not the guy that offers that." Darien replied. "Andrew and I usually have to drag you kicking and screaming. That time we played mahjong with Andrew and Lizzie..."

"Yeah, yeah." Jed laughed. "Well, actually, a game of mahjong sounds fun. Wanna go to the parlor?"

Darien considered for a moment. This was unlike Jed, to offer to go out. For being an actor, he was nearly a hermit crab when it came to social events. But Darien could relate: He was new in town, and his first foray into town, to Darien's knowledge, was that he was in an explosion and lost an awful lot. In such cases, it helped to have friends, like Serena and her posse; Andrew and Lizzie, and Darien himself.

The crystal was safe in his pocket, and Zoicite was far away. Darien could take the time out for his buddy.

"All right, let's go!"

* * *

Jedite and Darien headed to Darien's favorite mahjong parlor, stopping only briefly to call Andrew and Lizzie. They had been out with Rita, Andrew's girlfriend, and had just finished. Both were up for a game, and met the two at the parlor.

"So, let's get a drink, first." Darien offered.

"I'll buy." Jedite offered as the four headed over towards the bar.

"Hey, Darien." The bartender was someone Darien had known for a long time. "And Andrew, Lizzie. And you brought Jed, too. Nice to see you all again."

"We thought we'd have a fun evening. Can we have a drink?"

"Sure." The bartender smiled.

"On me." Jedite smacked down a wad of cash. He had a lot of the stuff, considering he never bought anything besides food.

"You're more of a wine-drinker, are you?" The bartender asked.

"He's a lightweight." Andrew teased.

"Well, here's a bottle I've been saving up for the right customers." The bartender laughed and got out four of his best glasses and opened the bottle of wine. He poured a thick red wine into the glasses, with just a dollop in one glass for the underage Lizzie, to be drunk quietly. All picked up their glasses

"Wow, this is some quality stuff." Darien noted.

"Yeah, this one of the really good Cabernet Francs. It's supposed to ferment with age, and you can't let it get cold. If it chills, the fermentation stops." The bartender talked. Jedite just stared at his glass.

"Frozen in time." Jedite looked at the glass.

"You all right, Jed?" Lizzie asked.

"I've just felt like that for a while."

"You're supposed to get all mopey after you drink, not before." Andrew teased.

"I'm not depressed." Jedite drank some wine. "I'm actually in a good mood. A friend of mine stopped by, and I didn't expect her to, and I cheered up. She's a reckless girl, and it's going to get her into trouble, but we were both hit with a tragedy and she dusted herself off and moved forward. I felt like I was stuck. Frozen in time, just like the wine."

"Well, the wine is here, and the tables are open. I just you're prepared to lose!" Andrew patted Jed on the back.

"Not a chance, big brother!" Lizzie smiled as the bartender handed her a soda. Jedite laughed, drank some more wine, and started to head over to the table. He played mahjong for a while and began to feel really good. But as the night was drawing to a close, Jedite could swear he felt a stirring, a familiar energy. The energy of a Rainbow Crystal. Perhaps it was just the wine, but he could swear it was coming from Darien. Was he a holder of a Rainbow Crystal too?


	66. Just an Afternoon Out

The Scouts met up at Jedite's apartment just as they had arranged. Expecting to find the actor morose and brooding, as he had been ever since his loss to Tuxedo Mask at the graveyard, Serena was surprised to see him with an upbeat smile on his face.

"Oh, hello." Jedite greeted. "It's a good thing the meeting is right now. I've got shooting much later today. Come on in."

"Wow. You're in a good mood." Serena was taken aback. Jedite was normally moody and down, but he smiled on occasion, and could be very polite.

Inside, the rest of the Scouts were all seated at his dining room table.

"Hey, guys!" Serena smiled. "We're all here."

"And you're late as usual." Raye replied. So she hadn't changed at all.

"So, what happened with the last fight?" Jedite asked. Serena informed him of Greg and the crystal.

"So Tuxedo Mask got another one." Jedite furrowed his brow, but he seemed to take this crystal loss more pleasantly than the one at Yokohama.

"It would really help if we could detect where the crystals were as Zoicite could." Amy noted.

"I can only sense them when they are close by." Jedite remarked. "And even then, it's hard to pinpoint it to one person. They usually have to be alone before I'm certain."

"There's nothing we can do about that now. We can only be more vigilant." Lita remarked.

"I suppose." Raye didn't seem to like the idea.

"Hey, wait a minute. Both Game Machine Joe and Amy's friend both had weird powers, right?" Lita asked. "If we know anyone who is somewhat off, maybe we should have you track them, Jedite."

"Still back to square one, though. We'd need to find someone odd like that. And that priest didn't have any powers, did he?" Raye countered.

"Not that I was aware of." Jedite answered.

"Aww, I thought I had something." Lita sighed.

"Well, at least we're all up to date. I'm headed out for a bit. Molly and I are going to see the new exhibit by Lonnie Lennai!" Serena cheered. Molly had asked Serena to the event last night, and Serena was only too eager to go. If there was one good thing to come out of this whole saga with Greg and his Rainbow Crystal, both Molly and Jedite seemed to snap out of their funk and be more cheerful.

"I've heard of that." Amy smiled. "It's too bad I have my computer course, I would have loved to see it. Supposedly, she's a really good painter."

"I also heard that if you buy one of her paintings, your most romantic dreams come true." Raye teased. "Someone has their eyes on a certain Rainbow Crystal holder who's really smart."

Amy blushed.

"No, no. Not at all!" Amy protested, shaking her hands in the air.

"When you protest that loudly." Lita joined the fray, and Serena giggled. Greg had to leave and transfer away, but Serena was certain he'd be back. The seeds of love were sown, and sometimes it took a gentle, nurturing hand.

"Everyone's in a really good mood today." Serena laughed. "Even you, Jedite."

"What?" Jedite laughed a bit, as if he was nervous. He didn't do it that often. Even when he lived at the temple, sometimes Raye wondered if he smiled merely because he was to do that to customers coming to buy charms.

"You're in a good mood today."

"Well, last night, I went out and had an evening of mahjong. Was out with Darien, Andrew and Lizzie. We had a good time."

"Well, good. Having a good time is always the key!" Serena smiled. "Speaking of good time, I'd better not be late!"

"You're always late, Molly's probably used to it." Raye sniped, and everyone except Serena laughed. It always had to be at her expense, didn't it?

* * *

After Serena had left, Amy soon followed.

"My computer class." She had said with a smile before leaving. The apartment was soon left to Raye, Lita, and Jedite, and Lita wondered if now she should make her move. Jedite had been pretty anti-social before, but now he seemed downright pleasant, even going out for mahjong. Lita was never much of a gambler, but she enjoyed playing for fun.

"So, what are you planning to do today, Jedite?" Lita asked politely.

"Hm? I've got filming later tonight."

"You actors keep some weird schedules, huh?" Lita asked. "So you're free until then."

"Yes, I am." Jedite replied.

"If that's the case, why don't we head out for a bit? Get some lunch, maybe take in a movie?" Lita offered.

"What?" Raye was the one who reacted well before Jedite did. Did she have a crush on him too? It was hard not too, Lita supposed. Tall, a mysterious past, a powerful enemy-turned-ally. It was like every romance novel Lita had read. Read secretly, of course. No one could know she was a bad romantic like that.

But Jedite was single, Lita knew that for a fact. That meant he was up for pickings. If Raye was interested, she was a rival.

"Huh?" Jedite was confused by the offer.

"You go out and hang with Darien all the time. I just thought we could spend time together not saving the world." Lita laughed nervously.

"No, I don't object or anything, I was just surprised. Sure, that might be enjoyable. I'm not much for movies, but we can go get some lunch. You're a good cook, though. I'm surprised you would eat out."

"It's no fun to cook for just myself." Lita shrugged. She hoped Jedite wouldn't pursue that topic. Lita lived alone, and she didn't want people to pity her lack of parents.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense." Either Jedite was very astute or very dense in that he didn't pick up on that. Given how little he knew humans, though, it had to be the latter.

"All right. Raye, how about you?" Jedite made the awful Lita was afraid of. She had nothing against Raye, but it would be hard to make a move with another woman around, particularly if she had a crush on him too.

"Sure." Raye smiled. Lita grumbled to herself. It was her own fault for not steering the conversation: Jedite wouldn't understand the subtlety of human emotions.

"All right. Let me just disguise myself and we can head out. It's no fun getting mobbed by a bunch of fans when you're trying to enjoy yourself. At least they don't help me cheat when I play mahjong."

* * *

"Zoicite!" Beryl's voice registered stern disapproval as both Zoicite and Malachite stood in front of her.

"Your Majesty?" Zoicite did not seem pleased to be here, and Beryl had the strangest sense of nostalgia as she watched her subordinates in front of her. This was just like it was with Jedite before she had sent him to his death.

"We have lost two of the crystals. Two of three." Beryl always stated her subordinate's crimes before they were punished. It was only proper befitting her station. Zoicite said nothing.

"We need all seven of the Rainbow Crystals to awaken our Queen Metallia. And now I discover that not only did this strange man not show up to reclaim the second Rainbow Crystal, but another interloper, Tuxedo Mask, is responsible for taking the third one."

"Your Majesty..." Zoicite started. "It's true, that security guard, or whoever he was, did not appear."

"That I can forgive." Beryl replied. She certainly couldn't ask Zoicite to make him appear. "But now there are three people gathering the crystals, four if you count the Sailor Scouts, who have not gathered one yet. Zoicite, if either of them gain the crystal, Metallia will not awaken, and they will have a weapon capable of eliminating all of us."

"I thought only the Queen of the Moon Kingdom could use it's power." Malachite stepped up.

"Queen Metallia was not Queen Serenity." Beryl corrected. "And she knows how to use it's power. We cannot assume Tuxedo Mask or the other man does not have the ability to use it. Perhaps it was wrong of me to assign you to such command, Zoicite. If only Nephrite were here." Beryl said the last line to incense the younger general. While Beryl doubted whether Nephrite could do a better job than Zoicite, he wouldn't easily lose to either of the two men gathering crystals.

"I can do a much better job than that traitor!" Zoicite was incensed. "Majesty, I will bring you that next crystal even if I have to lay waste to thousands!"

"That won't be necessary. If you fail, do not return. Malachite, perhaps we should discuss your subordinate's training in private."

"Majesty, Zoicite will gain this crystal. If you prefer, I will supervise directly."

"No, Malachite. I want you to see if you can seek out either Tuxedo Mask or this odd security guard. Take no action at the moment, just see if you can locate him so we may set a trap later once we can secure the crystals."

"I...understand, m'queen. Zoicite, take every precaution in this battle." Malachite instructed Zoicite, his lover and subordinate. Beryl marveled to herself. No matter which subordinate she put into this position, they were met with failure. It was the Scouts who thwarted Jedite, and even now, Sailor Moon healed the youma and turned them back to humans. What was it about them that caused them to win.

Perhaps one of her own youma should be sent on another reconnaissance, like Erinyes, one of her strongest. She had sent Erinyes to discover whether or not Jedite was still alive, but Sailor Moon eliminated her first.

And Beryl realized she never did get the answer to that question. None of her other subordinates knew a thing about it.

She would need to weigh this option carefully.


	67. Paint Me a Picture

Jedite had heard Saffron and everyone else at the studio rave about a certain downtown restaurant. As a rule, Jedite avoided restaurants unless he went out, and that was rare as it was. But now, he decided to take both Raye and Lita there.

"This place does seem nice." Lita was the first one with the compliment.

"Saffron thinks so." Jedite replied. "Let's get a seat." The three of them took a seat in the corner, the two girls sat on one side and him on the other. They ordered drinks quickly.

"Well then, Lita, you're the newcomer. Tell me more about yourself." Jedite knew how to be polite from all his time in human society, and Lita was a relative mystery to him. He knew quite a bit about Amy and Serena from the time they had spent, and he knew a lot about Raye from staying at the temple, but Lita was new.

So Lita talked a bit. She didn't mention anything about her parents or any other family members, but she talked about what she liked to do. Cooking Jedite knew already, but she was apparently quite the formidable martial artist.

"Interesting." Jedite remarked. Raye took martial arts too, she even brought Darien with her on occasion.

"So what do you like to do, Jed? I know you're new here, but you have to have some favorite haunts." Lita asked.

"Heh, I work." Jedite replied. "It's pretty intense, and the schedule is irregular, so even when I'm in the mood to go out, which doesn't happen often, sometimes it's at 3 in the morning. But acting is what I'm good at, and it pays very well." The group laughed a bit. Jedite continued to engage Lita and knew many fascinating details about her. People could be very interesting, a trait Jedite was learning very quickly.

However, Raye was much more quiet and morose. What was up with her? Normally she couldn't wait to trash Serena in that playful way she always did.

But Jedite didn't want to push it, it would make her mad. Raye was scary when she was mad.

* * *

The Lonnie Lennai exhibit was everything Serena hoped it would be. Her paintings were magical, positively stunning. Real, true art.

Beside her, Molly was looking as enchanted as she was.

"Wow!" Molly was staring at a beautiful painting of a dashing man and a young teenaged girl, about to touch hands in the moonlight.

"_No wonder she likes that one." _Serena thought. It looked a lot like her and Nephrite.

"Let's take a look at the ones down here, Moll." Serena steered. If she looked at the painting too long, she might cry again.

"Yeah." She agreed as the two walked down to another corner of the gallery.

"This one is called 'Self-portrait of a Moon Princess'" Molly read the placard of another painting.

"Self-portrait." Serena noted as she looked closer. If the picture was accurate, Lonnie had beautiful long blonde hair and a heart-shaped face.

"I heard that if you buy one of these, your most romantic dreams will come true."

"Really?" Serena asked. "Oh, maybe I get one for my birthday. Oh, why can't they be wallpaper. If this is her, she must be beautiful."

"Of course, who knows for sure." Molly shrugged. "According to the gossip, she never comes to her own exhibitions."

"Why not?" Serena wondered as she continued to look at the self-portrait. She was positively stunning. Young men would line up for miles just to see her, and young girls would be as enchanted as Molly would. It was bound to make more money.

"You know what that means, Serena." Molly teased. "She doesn't look like this at all."

"What, why would she say that?" Serena wondered. She didn't have to title her work as a self-portrait, just say it was a Moon Princess.

"It could be a business move." A familiar voice sounded behind her.

"Melvin..." Serena recognized that voice anywhere.

"Huh?" Molly wondered.

"Everyone loves celebrities." Melvin stated rather smartly. "But she's shy, so she paints this picture. That way, we get that connection and she stays out of sight. And when we have that connection, you get more patrons. More patrons, more business."

"That's pretty smart." Molly agreed. "But I still think it might not look like her. That could be it."

"Wonder why'd she go through that trouble."

"Maybe she's a he." Molly laughed. The three of them traded theories and laughed for a bit.

"Hey, look at this one. Serena, it kinda looks like you!" Melvin immediately pointed out a painting close to the front of the gallery, and Serena stopped to take a look. Like many of Lonnie's other paintings, this had people in the moonlight. This one had a regal, well-dressed man flanking a smaller woman in a pink bathing suit.

"It does, doesn't it." Serena was surprised. While not a perfect representation, this woman in the painting looked very much like herself. Right down to her hairstyle.

"Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it." Melvin commented.

"Did she paint me and I didn't even know it? Can you do that?" Serena wondered.

"Maybe you were sitting somewhere for a bit and she saw you." Melvin offered.

"Or maybe you have an evil twin." Molly teased.

"Sammy is evil enough." Serena returned. "I don't need an evil twin." Molly and Melvin laughed as Serena turned away from them. It seemed everywhere she went, she was teased.

As she turned to look outside, she saw Darien through the window. He appeared to be talking to a young, plain-looking woman with glasses and a brown ponytail. She seemed to be rather insistent about something.

"_That Darien, what is he up to?" _Serena growled. If it was Darien, he had to be up to no good. Who was that woman he was with? Some sort of two-timing going on? Serena owed it to Raye to make sure this was innocent. One could never be too sure when it came to folks like him.

* * *

Darien had attempted to call Jed this afternoon in order to thank him for taking him out yesterday, but it seemed as though he wasn't home. He must have been filming: Such a weird schedule actors kept.

With nothing to do until his next class, Darien decided to grab a quick bite to eat. Remembering a place Andrew had told him about, he made a quick detour and ended up near an exhibition hall.

"_Oh yeah, I remember reading about this in the paper. Lonnie Lennai was the name." _Darien didn't get art, that was more Andrew's thing. But as he passed by the window, he caught a glimpse of a painting, put in the window to attract customers.

A regal looking man, his face covered with a thin mask used at fancy parties, was walking next to a girl, a very beautiful girl with flowing hair and a beautiful dress.

He paused, for a moment. Where had he seen that girl before? It was too familiar to be random chance.

"_That...that night. At Princess Diamond's ball. She's the woman from my dreams." _Darien quickly put two and two together. It was the princess, the one who told him to find the Rainbow Crystals. The one who wanted them, the one who needed them. How could she just been in a painting like this?

"You're perfect!" As Darien studied the painting carefully, he heard a woman's voice beside him.

"Huh?" Darien looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. She was standing beside him, a woman in glasses, brown hair and a simple dress. Not unattractive, but not exactly gorgeous.

"Yes! Yes, you!" She stated right at Darien.

"Are you alright, miss?" Darien asked.

"You're absolutely perfect!" She replied.

"I'm perfect?" While flattering, Darien was completely clueless as to what it meant.

"I'm sorry. I probably seem like a weirdo. I mean you would be perfect for a painting of mine, that's all." The woman retracted, and became apologetic.

"A painting?" Darien asked.

"Yes. As a model, I mean. I have a painting in my head, but I couldn't find the models, and you look exactly like the man I was looking for."

"Well, I'm flattered, I really am." Darien replied. "But I don't do the whole painting thing. Why don't I give you the number of my friend Jed, he's an actor."

"No, no, please don't!" The woman pleaded. "I'm really not a weird person and..."

"Stop right there, Darien!" A shrill voice Darien was in no hurry to hear again sounded from coming out of the art exhibition.

"_What did I do to deserve this? It must be karma for beating everyone at mahjong last night." _Darien thought. Serena was the owner of the voice, and she seemed none to happy.

"What do you want, Meatball Head?" Darien dismissed.

"What are you doing with this other woman!" Serena returned. "Is there something I should know? Or Raye should know?"

"What?" Darien was in no mood for her games now.

"What's with your meeting here? Are you two-timing?"

"No!" Darien protested. He thought of Raye as just a pal, but she had a different impression, and Darien wasn't so cruel as to make her think such a thing.

"And you too!" Before Serena could get off a response, the strange painter lady who asked Darien to model for her turned her gaze on Serena.

"And me?" Serena looked as lost as Darien was.

"The woman I was looking for." The woman replied. How anyone could want Serena was anyone's guess. Maybe she really was crazy.

"I'm so sorry, maybe I should start from the beginning. My name is Peggy Jones, I'm a painter, and I was looking for a man and a woman to model for me and pose for my next painting. And now I've found you both, oh, I never dreamed it would be as simple as this. I guess I got too excited."

"You want me to model for a painting?" Serena asked. Peggy, the artist, nodded.

"Well, yeah! That sounds great. Let's do it right now!" It excited Serena, not to Darien's surprise.

"Well, enjoy yourselves. I'm out." Darien shrugged.

"What! Darien, what's wrong with you!" Serena replied.

"This isn't my thing." He replied.

"You used to model not too long ago."

"Yeah, to pay the bills. It wasn't a huge fascination for me." Darien replied.

"Oh, please!" Peggy pleaded.

"Come on, Darien. Don't be so heartless! Peggy wants our help, and it's not like it's a scam gonna cost us. How can you be so cruel?" Serena accused. Darien was about to tell off Meatball Head another time, but he looked at Peggy instead. The girl's eyes were pleading, near tears. She meant it, Darien could tell. She may have been nutty, but she meant every word of what she said.

"All right, Ms. Jones. For you, I'll do it." Darien relented. "But Meatball Head, we're doing her a favor, so you better behave."

"Killjoy." Serena mumbled.

"Wonderful. Can I see you tomorrow at 5?" Peggy seemed overjoyed.

"Sure." Darien replied. He had no classes, nothing planned. He could make it. "I'll be by." It was too bad Peggy Jones wasn't this Lonnie Lennai character. The woman in the painting was so much like the woman from his dream. He had to know who she was.


	68. Truth in Artwork

After the lunch with Raye and Lita ended, the two of them decided to go shopping, and Jedite declined to tag along. He was never much of a shopper, so he decided to take a walk downtown.

There was quite a gathering around a gallery. As Jedite got closer, he noticed that it was an art gallery, with a large exhibition of paintings on display. Jedite didn't care much for art: The studio decorated his apartment with tasteful pieces so a reporter would think it's decorated nicely, but he wouldn't regard them for more than a minute at a time.

But Jedite caught a glimpse of the painting in the window, supposedly the highlight of the artist's work, and he immediately stopped. It was well-made, although such a thing would not give Jedite pause. It was the subjects: A tall man with a tuxedo, his eyes obscured with a mask, was beside a woman with flowing blonde hair, styled with two meatball-shaped buns in her hair.

It was Tuxedo Mask and Serena staring back at him: The similarities were too much to be just a coincidence. It was practically them.

Jedite entered the gallery to take a look at some of the other paintings on the wall. And he became astonished almost immediately: Many of these paintings were of images he had seen before. Some of them looked like youma, one of them looked like Molly and Nephrite. How did this artist paint all of these pictures? She would have had to been a youma to have known some of these, some of them had never even been out collecting energy.

"Pardon me." Jedite asked a member of the gallery staff. "Who is the artist who painted these?"

"Her name is Lonnie Lennai." The clerk was friendly and helpful.

"Interesting. Might it be possible to meet with her?" Jedite asked.

"I'm sorry, sir." The clerk replied. "I'm afraid Ms. Lennai never comes to the galleries."

"Well, my name is Harvey Sigurd." Jedite tried to use his fame to garner attention, and slipped the clerk a banknote as a bribe.

"I'm really sorry, sir. But I don't know where to find her. She has her art shipped here and all mail is sent to a post-office box. I wouldn't know where to find her."

"How curious." Jedite growled. If he had no clues on her location, how could he hope to discover the truth behind her. She had to know something of Beryl and youma for her paintings to match so closely. There was no such thing as a bunch of coincidences.

* * *

That weekend, Serena made it a personal effort to be on time to Peggy Jones's place for the painting. Serena had never posed before, and she got to do it with Darien. Raye was going to blow a gasket, and it was funny.

"Hello!" Peggy greeted her at the door. Darien had already arrived.

"Thank you for doing this." At a suggestion from her mother, Serena brought a gift to show her appreciation, a small bouquet of flowers.

"Thank you! Darien also brought me some."

"Darien." Serena grimaced. Such a thing was too forward for him.

"It's customary to give a gift to someone you plan on working with for a while, Meatball Head." Darien returned. "And art takes time."

"Not as much as you'd think." Peggy returned. "I really only need you to pose for the rough sketch. I can do the rest myself."

"Well, keep the flowers anyway." Darien replied. "Where should I sit?"

"Excuse me, Darien, but I thought we were both posing." Serena remarked.

"Yeah, and you don't follow direction well, so I thought it would be best to separate." He could be very harsh when he wanted to be.

"Just sit down there on the couch, you two. I just need to get your faces. Darien, mellow out your expression a bit, as if you're looking at the love of your life."

"All right." Darien took off his jacket and sat down on the sofa.

"Serena, I want you to look wistful and dreamy." Peggy instructed.

"That means..." Darien started.

"I got it." Serena cut him off. And took a seat on the couch. She followed Peggy's instructions.

"Hold. Hold it, both of you." Peggy instructed, and she started to sketch. As restless as Serena was, she sat through the whole thing quietly for Peggy, trying not to move her face.

It felt like it was going on for hours.

"All right, Serena, could I have you turn to your left, please so I can get a profile?" Peggy asked politely.

"Of course." Serena turned, trying to keep her face as it was. So when Serena turned, she was looking at Darien, who was still facing straight ahead.

"_She could have given me something better to look at." _Serena thought to herself. No matter how many times she knew it existed, she couldn't get over the fact that this guy had friends like Raye and Jedite. How did that even happen?

As she looked at his face, his features soft, but with rigid focus, keeping himself still for Peggy's painting, she couldn't help but think that Raye, at least, didn't have bad taste when it came to appearances. Darien was quite handsome. It wasn't a crime to say that about a friend who was not available, Serena thought.

"All right, Serena, please face forward again. Darien, I'd like to get your profile, please."

"Sure thing, Peggy." Darien was downright agreeable, and it was so strange to see him that polite. Serena turned to face front, and looked at Peggy. She was concentrating so intently on her rough sketch, her brow furrowed. She wielded her charcoal almost as elegantly as Sailor Moon wielded her tiara. This woman was dedicated. She was very, very dedicated.

* * *

It wasn't much longer, Darien figured, once he had to change positions. Not much longer of looking at Serena. Sure, she was somewhat pretty, when she was walking upright or not cramming junk food down her gullet.

He tried to ignore that and concentrate on the work he had to do. It hadn't been that long since his modeling days, and he knew first hand the first thing to do was keep the focus once the artist had what he wanted. This may have been canvas instead of film, but if you lost that artist, you weren't getting him back.

"All right, all finished." Peggy noted later. Darien stood up and put his jacket on. He would stick around a bit to be polite, but he wasn't that interested in staying. His role was over, and the artist needed time with her work.

"Look around." Peggy offered. "I just need to touch some stuff up here." She returned to her rough sketch, and Darien began to look around. Peggy's studio was not spacious, but it was comfortable enough for a single. It was about the size of his own apartment.

Peggy was a simple woman, most of the things here were merely covered canvases and other art supplies, Peggy wasn't much of an interior decorator.

Serena was nosing around near the kitchen. Figured she'd try to steal food. But at the last minute she looked at a few of the canvases.

"Wow, Peggy. These are fantastic. Did you make these?" Serena asked. Darien looked at some of the canvases, and Peggy was a talented girl, certainly. She painted people almost exclusively. But as Darien looked at the paintings more, he couldn't help but wondered if he had seen these before. They looked familiar to him.

"I made some of these." Peggy was talking to Serena, who then went to look at the one Peggy was drawing.

"This is beautiful." Serena remarked.

"A talented artist can make even you beautiful, Meatball Head." Darien snarked.

"Well, mister, you take a look and see my real beauty." She dared. Darien shrugged, put the painting he was looking at back down, and came to look at Peggy's.

The art wasn't finished, but it was beautiful. Darien's eyes widened as he looked. It was a man and a woman facing each other, their hands over a locket shaped like a star.

The woman in the painting, she looked just like the Moon Princess in his dreams. The one on the gallery window in the front of the expo.

"This is really good." Darien praised.

"Thank you." Peggy blushed.

"Lonnie." Darien delivered the final part of what he just figured out.


	69. The Real Peggy

"What?" Serena looked at Darien oddly, but he looked straight at Peggy. The brushwork, the subjects, everything about this woman's artwork said that she was Lonnie Lennai.

"So you found me out." Peggy replied demurely. "Yes, I'm Lonnie Lennai herself."

"Hey, I'm not gonna make a big deal about it." Darien wasn't some scummy tabloid writer, he wasn't out to expose Peggy. He was just curious.

"Why'd you change your name?" Serena asked sympathetically.

"Well, I tried to work under my real name." Peggy offered. "But no one took notice of my work. I was just some plain, unassuming girl. Galleries walked all over me. So I made up a new name, pretended I was some fabulous blonde bombshell named Lonnie Lennai, and painted a portrait of a woman I said was me. Everyone loved it, so I kept at it. It made me famous." Peggy smiled, but Darien was certain there was more to it than that. Such a thing, however, was none of his business.

"Are you sure?" Serena asked. Leave it to her to be dense enough to not understand social graces.

"All I've ever wanted is for people to see my artwork. I want them to love it, want it, make them happy. I've got what I wanted." Peggy replied.

"But, isn't Lonnie getting that praise?" Serena asked. Peggy paused for a moment.

"Serena, maybe we should head out." Darien advised. This was too personal for him. He was her model, someone to help her with her work: He had no right to tell her the course of her life.

"It would have been nice, of course." Peggy admitted. "But I won't be able to keep painting if I don't sell my work, and Lonnie sells. Everyone has to eat. Besides, what's more important is that they like it. My art is my life, I want them to notice that." Peggy continued to sketch.

Peggy had the right idea, Darien never liked encounters with people much: Most people were boring and vacuous, and he only interacted when he had to. People left, people broke your heart, people betrayed. It was best kept to a minimum. The few night's out he had with Jed and Andrew, and the "dates" with Raye, were enough for him.

Serena wasn't like that, and she didn't have to be. But she shouldn't tell Peggy what to do with her life.

"Well, I'm actually about to have a little dessert. I always make myself something home-made when I finish a rough. Would you care to join me?"

"No thanks." Darien declined politely. "I've actually got organic chemistry to study."

"Definitely!" Serena agreed. Of course, since Peggy promised sweets, that girl would stay for anything.

* * *

Raye was quietly sweeping the steps alone as the sun began to go down. She was used to the temple being quiet at sundown ever since Jedite had stopped living there, and she missed it sometimes.

During that whole lunch, Jedite asked question after question to Lita. He wanted to know all about her: Her cooking, her martial arts. She was infinitely fascinating to him. And, while she knew she shouldn't, Raye found herself jealous.

She took martial arts too. She was more than a temple maiden. Raye may not have been a genius like Amy, but she learned and retained information. She could talk of interesting topics.

She thought Jedite and her had an attachments. Something that went beyond fighting to save the world together. He talked with her, laughed with her before. He asked her about herself. But now his attention was elsewhere.

Lita was pretty, she was very pretty. As tall as she was, she was all woman. Once Raye finished the sweeping, she returned to her room.

"Good evening, Raye." Her grandfather greeted her politely.

"Hello, Grandpa." Raye smiled.

"Going to read the flames tonight? Make sure you don't overdo it, you have school in the morning."

"Thank you, Grandpa." Raye smiled. She wasn't sure if that was what she'd be doing tonight. Instead, she went into her room. It was a little messy, so she straightened it up a little, starting with her bed and finishing with her dresser. As she cleaned it, she noticed her makeup.

Unlike the other girls, Raye did not use much makeup. Grandpa didn't like it much. It never mattered to Raye anyway, she was always the weird girl, no matter how pretty she was.

But Lita was prettier, Raye thought as she opened her compact.

"_What am I doing?" _Raye nearly horrified herself as she realized the depths of her thoughts. Was she putting on makeup to impress Jedite, to make her stand out? Love wasn't even possible among the Negaverse, Jedite had told her this himself. Further, she had a boyfriend. Darien may have been distant, but he was still hers, and she wasn't cheating on him.

Raye wasn't sure whether to cry or laugh at herself. What was wrong with her? Jedite knew she existed, she had no reason to just try and please him. He wouldn't appreciate it either. He preferred results of practical use. Getting a Rainbow Crystal by herself. That would get his notice.

That was stupid, to take on Zoicite by herself. Raye wouldn't put their mission at such a risk.

But even though she knew it was foolish, she used her makeup. She wanted to feel prettier.

* * *

Serena was glad Darien wasn't sticking around for dessert. He could be such a stick-in-the-mud. Peggy had made an apple pie, and it looked positively delicious. It didn't compare to Lita's cooking, but very little compared to that. It wasn't fair to Lita.

"Peggy, you're a wonderful painter." Serena smiled.

"Thanks. I'm so happy I'm living my dream."

"Where do you come up with these ideas?" Serena asked.

"From dreams. Ever since I was young, I always have been a very vivid dreamer. Lots of doctors say you can't remember your dreams, but I always remember mine. And they're fantastic. And then, well, my models pose for me, and well, you saw the rest." Peggy smiled. "I'll need to finish that one so the gallery can get a good look at it.

"Wow, me in an art show. I never would have guessed." Serena giggled. It did make her really nervous.

"But you know, Peggy, I mean what I said. You're a beautiful wonderful woman. No one who wasn't could make those masterpieces you make. The world should share and treasure you." Peggy blushed a bit.

"I mean it, we all think so. Lonnie Lennai might be this beautiful woman with all the confidence, but Peggy Jones is the painter. She's the one everyone loves. They should get to love you." Serena smiled, and Peggy looked lost in thought. Good, she was getting through to her.

"I should get finished on this painting."

"Yeah, I should be going too. Mom's gonna freak if I'm out too late." Serena grabbed her purse, which she had set down the whole night, and bid Peggy good night before heading out.

"_Wow." _Serena thought. This was a day she could never have anticipated. What a story it would make! Raye would flip.

Serena giggled a bit before reaching into her purse. She was pretty thirsty, and wanted a soda from the 24-hour store near here. As she opened it, however, she noticed that the Crescent Moon Wand was beeping."

"_Huh?" _Serena thought. It had been sitting on Peggy's floor the whole time, and she never noticed. Who could it be that had the crystal? This was a residential district, it could be in any of the houses nearby.

"_And the day gets even more eventful." _Serena thought as she began to transform. Sometimes, the days just kept on giving.

* * *

Peggy Jones was his target. Zoicite thought as he stood on a construction site overlooking the apartment. The alias of Lonnie Lennai, a popular painter. Beryl was brokering no failure on this mission, so Zoicite took a quick trip to Lonnie's exhibit first in order to see if there were any clues he could glean as to potential powers Peggy might have. Game Machine Joe and that boy Greg both managed to catch Zoicite off-guard.

There was nothing here that was helpful, but Zoicite was surprised at the paintings. Some of them looked suspiciously like Queen Beryl's youma, or even the Shitennou themselves. Was that her power, the ability to see visions like that?

If that was the case, she might have been aware that Zoicite was of the Negaverse. He had to play it very quickly. Blitz before Peggy could react.

He smashed the window of Peggy's home. When she came to investigate the noise, Zoicite was standing on the broken glass.

"What are you doing?" Peggy protested. "If you're a burglar..." She grabbed a full can of paint beside her. A heavy weapon, it could do some real damage were Zoicite some human burglar. But he wasn't a human, nor was he interested in Peggy's money, paintings, or anything in her home.

He pulled out the Black Crystal and began to use it's power. Peggy gasped in pain as a pale green light began to emerge from her stomach. The light soon gave way to a crystal. Aside from it's emerald color, it was the exact same as the other crystals. Zoicite's intel was not wrong, Beryl would be pleased to see this crystal.

And no Sailor Scout, Tuxedo Mask, or that odd security guard in sight. It was Malachite's job to look for them, and he would have sent word if he discovered something. They must not have appeared. Then again, Tuxedo Mask only appeared when Sailor Moon was around, so he might have been completely AWOL. The security guard was nowhere. Truly unfortunate.

Zoicite carefully tucked the crystal away in his pocket. There would be time to marvel in it's power later.

* * *

Jedite was leaving his apartment to head for filming when he noticed Darien in the hallway, about to enter his own apartment.

"Hey, evening!" Jedite called out pleasantly to Darien.

"Hey, Jed. How's it hanging?" Darien smiled and waved. "Thanks a bunch for earlier in the week."

"We'll have to do it again sometime. Maybe I can win all that money back." Jedite laughed. "So, what are you up to."

"You'd never believe me if I told you." Darien laughed. "What about you?"

"That art exhibit in town. Lonnie Lennai, I think her name was."

"I saw that earlier in the week. Art's really not my thing though."

"I'd actually like to meet her." Jedite laughed. He was joking with Darien, but the truth is, he wanted to. She had visions of things she could not have seen. Jedite still wasn't certain what could have caused it, but many ideas ranged in his head. That she was a youma plant came to mind first, but that wasn't the only reason. He owed it to himself to figure it out.

Jedite could swear Darien paused for a second, as if he was uncertain what to say of that.

"Well, I don't know what to tell you about that." Darien shrugged.

"Sorry, buddy. Don't worry about it." Jedite replied. He then remembered what it was about Darien earlier in the week that made Jedite feel weird: That he had an energy similar to the Rainbow Crystals.

Jedite tried to be discrete as he tried to feel out the energy nearby, emerging from his friend.

"You all right, buddy?"

"I wanted to say something, and I forgot." Jedite covered. Darien's energy was strong, he was clearly very excited about something. But it didn't feel like a Rainbow Crystal, not like the one he held in his hands at Yokohama. It must have been the wine, then.

"Well, I'll remember later." Jedite laughed. Darien did too, but then put his hand to his head and groaned.

"Huh? You okay?"

"I...it's just a headache." Darien replied. "I'm gonna go lay down. Good night, have fun at filming." Darien turned and quickly went inside. That was unlike him to be so rude. Jedite puzzled Darien's shut door for a moment. But ultimately wrote it off and headed to his filming.


	70. Splitting Off

The signal was strongest near Peggy's house. As far as Serena could tell, Peggy lived alone. That could only mean one thing: Peggy had one of the Rainbow Crystals. She took a quick peak through the windows on Peggy's front door, and what she saw surprised her. Zoicite was in the frame of a broken window, holding out his crystal, shooting a beam of light outside of Serena's line of sight. But she could hear Peggy screaming.

That was enough for her. She immediately pulled out her communicator to call the rest of the scouts. All three girls were available. But Serena knew she had to move fast. Zoicite would not stick around for very long if he was unchallenged, so Jedite had told her.

"Moon Prism Power!" She quickly transformed once she was certain she wasn't being watched.

She ran around to the opposite side of Peggy's house, where the broken window was. Zoicite was quickly making his getaway, accompanied by what Serena assumed to be the youma form of Peggy: A winged creature with long hair wearing pink.

"Hold it!" Sailor Moon called out firmly.

"You again?" Zoicite seemed annoyed to be speaking with him. "I don't have time for you."

"You better make it, buddy." Sailor Moon didn't like the idea of entering into battle herself, but she couldn't let Zoicite get away.

"How dare you attack an innocent artist and turn her to your wicked ways. I am Sailor Moon, and you're history."

"Fascinating." Zoicite seemed neither amused nor interested in what Sailor Moon had to say.

"Binah, I think this uncouth girl needs an art lesson. Would you be a dear?" Zoicite giggled.

"Yes, Master Zoicite." The monster replied.

"Peggy, I know you're in there. You don't have to do this. Be yourself!" Sailor Moon pleaded. It worked for Greg when he was transformed.

But it didn't seem to follow for Peggy. She flapped her wings, and several of the feathers on her body came loose. They did not fall to the ground however, they floated overtop of Serena and darted around in an odd fashion. However, those moves quickly became large rocks, which nearly fell on top of her.

Serena dodged as best she could. Would she have to attack Peggy, like she did with Greg? She didn't want to, but realized she might not have a choice. She had to weaken her in order to restore her with the wand.

"Moon Tiara..." Sailor Moon started, but more of the youma's feathers were creating rocks, causing her to lose her aim.

Zoicite giggled, clearly amused, but then he started to turn away.

"I'll be back presently, once the crystal is in Queen Beryl's hands." She told her youma.

"No you don't!" Sailor Moon called out, but this lapse of concentration caused a rather large rock to land on top of her, knocking her prone.

"Finish her. I've got a prize to deliver." Zoicite commanded as he reached his hand into his pocket. At once, Zoicite paused, and shivered, then fell to his knee on the ground in pain. From her downed position, Serena could see it was a rose. Tuxedo Mask had returned again. He'd keep Zoicite busy.

But he'd take the crystal again and leave. Why didn't he stay and fight with them?

But Serena had no more time for thoughts as the monster called Binah came closer.

* * *

Zoicite felt the rose hit his hand. That man! Zoicite cursed. Every time Sailor Moon showed up to foil him, the rose's owner, Tuxedo Mask, showed up like clockwork. And he was effective at claiming the Rainbow Crystals. Zoicite could not broker another failure like this: He'd be seen like Nephrite or Jedite, the other failures, and Zoicite promised Beryl results.

But as the rose still crippled him, he could only watch as Tuxedo Mask leapt down, and extended his cane to Zoicite's pocket, causing it to rip, and the crystal to spill out onto the ground.

"No!" He shouted, trying to reach for it. If it disappeared, Beryl would not be so forgiving. He started to get feeling in his body again. He quickly reached for the crystal, and managed to snatch it before Tuxedo Mask did.

"You won't get away, Zoicite!" Tuxedo Mask called. Zoicite bounded away, but not too far. He expected Tuxedo Mask to give chase, and he wanted to. If he could ambush him, maybe he could get the last crystal, the one from the young boy. He might not have been carrying it, but at least Zoicite could tell Beryl that he made the attempt. Beryl would understand that.

He could see Tuxedo Mask chasing as Zoicite made his way through a construction site. This would be perfect. Zoicite could levitate and navigate these narrow ledges with ease. Tuxedo Mask could not.

Zoicite hid himself from view and waited for the bait to appear.

* * *

Raye hustled quickly in order to reach Sailor Moon. She was all by herself battling Zoicite and whatever youma had appeared, and that could be problematic. This was an opportune time to secure the Rainbow Crystal from both Zoicite and Tuxedo Mask.

Who knew what could happen once they had one of the crystals. Perhaps it's energy could allow Jedite or Amy's computer to track the other ones not yet released. Even if not, it would be safe and secure from those who would do bad things with it, or those whose motives were uncertain.

"_And Jedite would be very impressed. Not even he's secured a crystal yet. He did lose it to Tuxedo Mask, after all." _Raye thought. He must have had filming, for he wasn't answering his calls. She'd make sure to tell Luna there had to be a way to reach him in an emergency.

When she reached the homes where Sailor Moon said to meet, at first, she was nowhere to be found. But it wasn't too hard to follow the sounds of battle. Lita had already arrived, seemingly just recently.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" She called, blasting a rock pinning Sailor Moon to the ground.

"Good!" She started to bring herself up.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars was never one to be outdone, and quickly launched an attack at the youma. However, some feathers from her wings fluttered about a quick second, and quickly created a large shield, which blocked her attack.

"Huh!" Mars was surprised. She was even more surprised when the monster flung the shield at her like a missile. She only narrowly dodged.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Mercury, who seemed to have arrived last, quickly launched her own attack.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars aimed where the monster was. Without her sight, she couldn't know where to use her feathers to block.

"Great going, Mercury, Mars!" Sailor Moon praised. "Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon launched, and while the monster was winded from Mars, the light from the attack fell over her. In a flash of light, she disappeared, and all that was left was a woman in a house dress with a brown French braid in her hair.

"Great!" Sailor Moon smiled. "She's back to normal."

"We can't let Zoicite get away." Sailor Mars quickly stated.

"Right." Sailor Mercury agreed.

"But Peggy..." Sailor Moon started.

"You can take her home." Sailor Mars stated. "You can manage that, can't you, Meatball Head."

"Raye...What's gotten into you?" Sailor Moon winced.

"I'm just trying to think of our mission. One of us can get her home, and you, apparently, know her. Or at least her name. The rest of us can make sure Zoicite doesn't get that crystal." Sailor Mars retracted a bit. Serena just couldn't take criticism very well.

"All right." Serena seemed to understand.

"I'll give you a hand." Sailor Jupiter offered.

"Come on, let's get him!" Sailor Mars quickly stated to Mercury, who nodded. The two ran into the construction site.

"Do you see any energy on your computer?" Mars asked as Mercury furiously typed.

"They're above us!" Mercury stated. It would be impossible to scale this skeletal building discretely. They weren't going to do battle up there.

"Maybe if we disorient them." Mercury stated. "Zoicite could drop the crystal."

"Great plan! Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars sent a line of fire towards Zoicite.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Mercury followed. A stray attack could knock him and the crystal down if he didn't know where it was coming.

"Where are you!" Tuxedo Mask was heard saying in the fog.

"Zoi!" Zoicite attacked, but at Tuxedo Mask.

"Arg!" There was a man's grunt.

"Thanks for the crystal!" Zoicite's voice giggled. As Mercury's fog cleared, Zoicite was gone, and Tuxedo Mask was all that was left standing.

"I'll get you next time!" Tuxedo Mask called before jumping up higher, further away from the scouts.

"I think we blew it." Mercury stated sadly.

"The plan was solid." Mars replied. "Don't blame yourself. We'll have to work harder. I wish we could have gotten it."

"Same here. Raye, let's promise never to break from the group again. We're a team, no matter how many times we think Serena has the wrong priorities." Mercury smiled. This whole experience was really humbling to Mars. It must be how Jedite felt when he lost the crystal to Tuxedo Mask.

"I'll tell Jedite what happened. He'll be angry, and it should be at me," Mars remarked sadly.

"Don't beat yourself up too much, we need you at your best! I'm going to check on Serena, and make sure Luna gives me a way we can reach Jedite in an emergency." The girls de-transformed, and Amy darted off to check on Serena. It was a sobering walk to Jedite's apartment.

* * *

Jedite noticed he had a number of calls when he got home without messages. One each from Raye, Lita, and Amy. It was Scout business that he missed.

"_Crap." _He thought. He had no idea where to go now, or if it was even over. Before he could think of another plan, there was a knock at his door. Standing outside was Raye.

"Hello." Jedite replied. He quickly ushered her in.

"So, the business is over?" Jedite asked.

"Zoicite got the crystal, we saved the youma."

Jedite groaned. That was bad. Now Zoicite had two of them.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault."

"Really?" Jedite asked.

"I got too eager. I wanted to catch him, get the crystal. Be the hero." Raye filled in Jedite on what she and Amy had tried. It was a decent plan, particularly if Amy came up with it on the fly.

"Heh." Jedite laughed. "Well, at least you had the right idea. Not everything works. What's important, is we think ahead."

"I was expecting you to be furious." Raye stated.

"No. Fury caused me to lose that crystal." Jedite acknowledged. "Are you...are you wearing more makeup than usual?" He changed the subject. There was nothing more needed to be said: Raye was beating herself up enough. The group had no need for a depressed hero. It was bad enough when Jedite was depressed.

* * *

"You noticed, huh?" Raye looked nervous as Jedite commented.

"It's a little overdone, actually." Jedite was blunt.

"I know." Raye admitted. "I just...I just...wanted to stand out a little."

"Stand out? Why?" Jedite admitted. "You doll yourself up once a year when your father visits. You said any others made it cheap."

"You...remember that?" Raye asked. She had only commented on it once, just to answer a question Jedite posed.

"Sure. And you also said you received the same present every year. A white dress and lilies." Jedite replied.

"Yes...that's right. You...remembered."

"I remember lots of the things you tell me." Jedite answered, and recited a few facts, all of them true. "You are a fascinating young girl."

"Really." Raye blushed. "It just seemed like, well, Lita."

"Lita's interesting too, and I got to know her. But I didn't need to ask about you again. I already remember the things you told me." Jedite smiled at her.

"So anyway, perk up, and we'll redouble our efforts next time. I'll try to think of a way to get those crystals back from Zoicite, you concentrate on the real crystals. And stick to being yourself, you look better with less makeup." Jedite smiled at her, and Raye turned around to head home. She didn't think it was possible, but her heart swelled. He remembered so much about her, that was why he didn't seem to be interested. She'd have to teach him the importance of asking questions again if he wanted a relationship, even if he knew the answers.

"_Did I just suggest we're in a relationship!" _Raye surprised herself. But the idea didn't make her upset. Bad word choice, but not cheating or anything.

But she still thought of Jedite, and all the things he remembered. Would he have remembered, if he didn't care? Jedite was a practical man, if he did, he must have. Somehow.


	71. A Chance Meeting

"_Why do I trust_ _that weatherman anyway?" _Lita thought as she hustled her way with her schoolbag over her head. Clear day her foot, that storm just came out of nowhere. Unusual for this time of year. Lita never did like rain, and especially didn't like being outside in it. She hustled down the street. It wasn't too far to a coffee shop: She could wait out the rest of the storm there.

But as she ran, she wasn't paying attention to what was around her, and it wasn't very long before Lita crashed into something. Or, judging by the sound of the 'oof' that the something made, it was a someone.

"Hey!" She called out. The other person called out didn't fall down when Lita did, so she found herself face to face with a pair of legs covered in men's slacks.

"Oh, are you alright? I'm sorry." The voice of the person in the men's slacks said from above.

"Well, I gotta say, crashing into a girl like..." Lita started, but she started to look up at the voice, and, much to her pleasant surprise, found out it was Andrew. Lita knew she was a sucker for cute blondes, Jedite just as much as Andrew was.

He helped her up.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Lita smiled. Andrew walked with her a bit as the rain was still coming down. She had usually only ever seen him at the arcade, and it was nice to get to know him. It wasn't enough just to remind Lita of her old boyfriend, she wanted to get to know him, too.

"Serena's told me all about you." Andrew smiled. So Serena's already tried to make a move on him.

"_That's so her." _Lita thought. But if Andrew wasn't dating her, she still had a chance. Of course, she still needed to decide between him or Jedite, but she wouldn't figure that out without knowing Andrew: She already knew a bit about the former Negaverse general.

"Hope she's said good things." Lita laughed.

"Yeah, she has. She said you're really strong, do martial arts, and an incredible cook."

"Yeah, I've been cooking my whole life. One day, I'll own a restaurant." Lita smiled.

"That sounds wonderful. I'm sure I'd be a regular patron, I can't cook for anything." Andrew laughed. "I never hear the end of it from my sister."

Here was her in! Cooking always brought people together, so Lita's grandmother had always told her.

"Why don't I give you some pointers. I'll show you how it's down, then we can eat it." Lita offered.

"Well, I can't say I can't use the help, but I don't want to impose." Andrew smiled.

"Not at all. Just write down your address and I'll stop by." Lita smiled as Andrew wrote down his address. It wasn't too far from his place I've got ingredients at home already!"

"Tonight, but..." Andrew started, but Lita didn't hear him.

"Catch you later!" Lita grabbed her notepad and smiled. This was even easier than she thought.

* * *

There was a brief rainstorm that Wednesday afternoon when Darien invited Jedite to check out K.O. University. Acting was good enough to pay the bills, and between that and Negaverse business, he was never lacking for things to do, but having an afternoon out on his day off made for some fun.

"Besides, you might be finally able to catch Rita, Andrew's girlfriend. That is, if they let her out of the etymology lab. " Darien laughed. Jedite had often heard Andrew speak of Rita, his girlfriend. Apparently, she was a red-haired immensely beautiful woman.

Jedite toured the campus, it was actually quite nice. Who knew what went on in the classes: The opinions of all of his friends were mixed on schoolwork, and Jedite wasn't inclined to try it either way.

"Hey, there you are!" Darien smiled as he waved over to Jed. "Wow, you do make excellent time." Darien noticed.

"_It helps when you can teleport." _Jedite laughed to himself. "So, what's new?"

"I aced my organic chemistry test, and that painting I told you about will soon be in the art gallery." Darien remarked. He had told Jedite that he and Serena had ended up posing for a painting by an artist named Peggy Jones. And, if Serena had told him first, Jedite wouldn't have believed her. Jedite's own week was full of saving the world and trying to thwart Zoicite, but he only told Darien of the filming. It was getting close to the end of the season, and, while Jedite was certain they'd still renew his contract, he was still quite a big name in the papers, he had also been getting offers from other companies. It was a tough decision he had to make shortly.

"Well, at least the rain stopped." Darien put his umbrella away. "Let's see if Andrew's ready for us yet." The two men strode down the sidewalk towards a large four-story building that Darien mentioned held the science labs of the school. Lots of dangerous equipment was there, so the building was separate from all the other facilities.

"Hey, look, there he is." Jedite pointed out, and directed his finger to the front of the building, where Andrew, with a folded umbrella in his hand, was talking with a woman.

"That's Rita?" Jedite asked. It matched the description.

"Yeah. Let's go tease them." Darien chuckled as the two walked over.

"Yo, lovebirds!" He called out to them.

"Oh, Darien." The woman, Rita, seemed surprised to see him. "You can't sneak up on us like that."

"Can't resist." Darien shrugged.

"And who is this?" Rita asked as she looked at Jedite.

"You don't recognize him?" Andrew smiled. "From your favorite show you insist I tape when you're working late. Those blank tapes are expensive."

"Oh my. It is! It is you! Harvey Sigurd in the flesh." Rita gushed a bit. There was really no need for Jedite to disguise himself as Harvey Sigurd when he wasn't shooting, but Darien had insisted, in case they actually did run into Rita. She was apparently a very big fan of the show.

"That's my stage name." Jedite smirked. "It's really Jed Hanson." It ceased to be odd that Jedite used a fake name as his real name, it just came with the territory now.

"Rita Blake, a real pleasure." She smiled. "I'm a huge fan of the show. I was starting to think Andrew was making it up that the two of you were friends."

"Well, if you got out of the lab sometimes, we could hang out together." Andrew complained.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I know you made plans, but the project has been approved."

"Really?" Darien perked up, Jedite was lost.

"Project?" He asked.

"Rita's going to Africa to collect bug fossils." Darien explained. "I'd explain more, but it's really not my field."

"And I'd explain more, but I'm sure it would be boring. I listen to you two talk about kidneys and livers and I get grossed out." Rita replied.

"Says the woman that looks at bugs." Darien returned.

"Fossils of bugs." Rita corrected.

"That makes it better." Darien was sarcastic.

"Boys, I hate to impose on you, but perhaps you can take Andrew for coffee? On me. I'm sorry again, Andrew. Take Lizzie for your reservation if you can't cancel." Rita bowed in apology, and headed back into the science building. Even Jedite could tell she was forcing a smile, she was clearly upset that she had missed this time with Andrew. And, by Andrew's downcast face, he wasn't the only one.

"Well, I'll have to call and cancel anyway. Come on, guys, let's get some coffee." Andrew turned to his two friends. Jedite puzzled as he looked at him. If this was a relationship, the things Serena and Lita seemed to want with a passion, he wasn't sure it was worth the hassle. Plans to be cancelled at the last minute, going to Africa, which Jedite knew was very far away. And Andrew didn't seem any happier as the guys headed to the local hangout for the university students.

What could be the upside?


	72. Not about a Relationship

"So they actually went through with it?" Darien was surprised when he, Andrew, and Jed all sat down for coffee. He had heard that Doctor Bennett was having a research project in Africa, and that Rita was one of a few possible students that could go with him on his trip. But it wasn't a sure thing, either that the project would get the green light or that Rita would go. But here it was.

"So what does that mean, exactly?" Jed sipped his own coffee. "She has to go to Africa?"

"For two years." Andrew replied.

"Who would have known?" Jed shrugged.

"It's too bad. I guess it's Splitsville for the two of you." Darien shrugged. Long-distance relationships never worked out, ones over continents even less so.

"Well, it doesn't have to." Andrew replied. "Maybe I'll go with her to study entomology."

"Isn't that entirely different from what you study now?" Jed asked.

"Not only that, you hate bugs even more than I do."

"I could learn to like it. And maybe they'll have need for a medical student there too. To treat the injuries they might get and stuff." Andrew noted.

"You're grasping." Jed pointed out. And if Jed could point it out, then Andrew was doing more than just grasping.

"Come on, buddy, listen to yourself." Darien remarked.

"Haven't you ever felt this way? Every time I'm with Rita, everything just clicks into place, and it feels like that each and every time."

"No, I can't say that it does." Darien replied.

"What about Raye?" Jed asked, and Darien wondered if he just walked into a trap. Jed had stayed at Raye's temple following the explosion he was in, and he was very close to her. But it was the truth: Darien didn't view his relationship with Raye as dating, just hanging out.

He told Jed the truth about him and Raye. Jed didn't reply at all, perhaps he didn't know what to say, or was no good at those things. Perhaps Darien needed to have a talk with Raye about their relationship. He was just procrastinating.

"_But right now, we need to talk to Andrew." _

"Andrew, you have to really think this kind of thing through." Darien noted.

"I've never been more sure of anything, dude. She's the one for me. She's pretty, she's smart, she's nice, to me, Lizzie, and everyone. And it's been a year and it still feels like the first time." Darien had no idea what to say to that: He'd never felt the way Andrew did.

"Jed, you understand, don't you?"

"Andrew, every relationship with a woman I've ever had was based mostly on lust." Jed noted. "And I'm not too inclined to start a relationship any time soon. They seem to be such a handful. I've got enough on my plate."

"Not a bad philosophy." Darien replied. The more people in one's life, the more people could hurt him. Darien had lost a lot in his life, and he fought for what he had, he wasn't going to have someone else take it from him. Besides, Darien had a big secret of his own he kept from Andrew, Jed, Raye, and everyone else. Who would think he was Tuxedo Mask, the crusader fighting the evils of Queen Beryl and her Negaverse.

Andrew was a med student dealing with his girlfriend moving away, and Jed was a known idol. Their lives were fine the way they were, and nothing good could come from them even knowing the truth. Zoicite was ruthless, and would hurt anyone, even someone unrelated to the Rainbow Crystals, to get what he wanted. The less they knew, the better.

* * *

After having coffee with his friends, Jedite made a quick stopover at his apartment. He wasn't going to be there long, but he wanted to change his clothes. He was meeting Lizzie at a local hangout. Some friends of hers were huge fans of _Precinct 52, _and Lizzie had said a personal visit would mean the world to them. As he changed, he thought about the talk at the coffee shop, and he felt bad for Andrew. Andrew did not have the gift of teleportation like he did: If Rita went to Africa, Andrew would be hard-pressed to get there. And for two years, that was a long time. When one did not see another person, opinions changed. How could he expect his relationship to weather such a thing.

"_Speaking of relationships." _Jedite thought for a moment of Raye's relationship with Darien, where today, Darien admitted he didn't see his relationship with Raye as dating. Raye clearly did. Such a revelation would hurt her, and Jedite didn't like that. Raye may have been icy at first, but she warmed up and the two got along great. She needed to know the truth, but for a second, Jedite wondered if that was really his place to say such a thing? Darien had to say it.

As he was straightening up the apartment, wasting time until his meeting with Lizzie, he heard the doorbell ring. He opened it to find that it was Lita who had payed him a visit.

"Oh, good afternoon." Jedite invited her in. He liked Lita: She was tough and strong, a worthy Sailor Scout.

"Hey! Wow, I almost expected not to find you here."

"Day off. Sometimes I get them. What may I do for you?"

"I'm calling in my favor." Lita stated.

"Huh?"

"For the party I catered for you. You owed me a favor, remember?" Lita asked. Jedite did remember that.

"Okay, here goes. I want you to tell me everything you know about Andrew." Lita replied, Jedite cocked an eyebrow and looked at her strangely.

"Andrew? Why?" Jedite asked.

"Well, specifically, his favorite foods. I'm going over there tomorrow to teach him how to cook, and well, I wanna make his favorite, and make him think it was a guess." Lita smiled.

"Well, I know he likes hayashi rice." Jedite replied.

"Get out, I know a great home-made recipe for that. You know what, I'm gonna take it a step up, and make beef bourguignonne. It sounds complicated, but it's simple once you know what you're doing." Lita smiled. Jedite figured that must have been a cooking term, since he had no clue what that meant, but it seemed she was happy, and knew what she was doing. Lita was a great cook, and Andrew was going through a tough time, being unsure of Rita and all. A meal from Lita might perk his spirits up.

"So tell me more about him." Lita asked.

"There's not a whole lot I could tell you that you wouldn't know already. Well, he's amedical student, like Darien, he works at the arcade. He studying specifically to be an emergency room surgeon."

"Thanks. It gives us some stuff to talk about." Lita smiled.

"His parents own the arcade, and I think you've met his little sister, Lizzie. I'm meeting her later."

"Yeah, I did meet her. She's pretty nice, and she's a waitress at the parlor we go to."

"That's her." Jedite agreed. "And then there's Rita, she goes to the same university as he does."

"Rita? I never met her." Lita puzzled.

"No, I only met her today. She's..." Jedite started.

"Is she his older sister?" Lita asked.

"Actually, she's..." Jedite started, but Lita interrupted.

"Maybe they're twins. I've never known twins." Lita was talking to herself, and probably couldn't have heard Jedite if he shouted.

"Well, either way, he's got two sisters, so he must know the proper way to treat a lady. Wow, I knew this would payoff. Thanks again, Jedite, I'm gonna make sure I have all the provisions to make the magical dish of love!"

"Of love?" Jedite puzzled. "Lita, Andrew has..." Jedite started, but she was already headed out the door.

"_I have the strangest feeling that this is going to backfire." _He thought. He'd try to call Lita tonight, but knowing that girl, she would be too excited to answer the phone. And none of the other Scouts would use their communicators for such a thing: Amy and Raye were too responsible, and Serena wouldn't want to chance getting chewed out, like the last time she used it as a telephone and a personal call.

He just hoped Lita wasn't too furious. Or upset.


	73. A Strong Embrace

Lita headed over to Andrew's place right on time, even a little early. She was still up in the air on whether she wanted Andrew or Jedite to be her boyfriend. Both were incredibly attractive. She and Jedite shared saving the world with the other scouts, but at the same time, Andrew was human. He understood human emotions, far more than Jedite did. Jedite's own emotions were blunted due to being so driven on his mission.

So she had to get to know Andrew. Maybe he'd be better suited for her, or maybe Jedite would kick his keister into gear if Lita played a little hard-to-get.

She knocked on the door.

"Hello?" Andrew called through the door.

"It's me, Lita!" Lita answered back.

"Oh!" Andrew opened the door. "Good afternoon."

"Hiya!" Lita replied. "I've got just the thing to teach you all the basics." She had her arms full of groceries.

"Wow, you really are serious about cooking." Andrew smiled. "I haven't had a chance to clean this place up, though.

"Oh, you're just being modest." Lita smiled. Everyone always said that when company came over. But, in this case, it ended up being true. While not filthy, Andrew's apartment was very cluttered. It surprised her since Jedite's apartment was so neat, but he did have telekinesis. That made cleaning a lot easier.

"We're gonna whip this place into shape!" Lita tied a headband around her forehead.

"Uhhh...what?" Andrew asked.

"Get started on those dishes, mister. We're gonna tidy this place up, make it fit for a queen!" Lita immediately set to work, picking up things from Andrew's floor. At least his apartment was small, it wouldn't take that much time to clean.

Andrew silently did the dishes, and when he finished, he decided to clean up the now uncluttered floors, while Lita began to dust the shelves and counter-tops.

"_He's really hunky." _Lita thought. He must work out, he certainly was very good looking. As she moved to another of his shelves, she noticed an absolutely beautiful portrait on the shelf. It was of Andrew and a stunning redheaded girl. It wasn't Lizzie, Lita still remembered her from the party.

"Pretty, isn't she." Andrew snuck up from behind her and noticed that she was looking.

"This isn't Lizzie. Is this Rita?" Lita remembered the name that Jedite had told her.

"That's right. Who told you?" Andrew asked.

"Jed." Lita smiled. "He said you two go to the same university."

"That's right, but she studies etymology." Andrew answered. Lita had no idea what that meant.

"It's only been a year, but wow, we picked up on each other really quickly." Andrew chuckled, and Lita became confused. One year? Weren't they siblings.

"Was she adopted?" Lita asked. And now Andrew's brow furrowed.

"N-no." Andrew replied. "She's not. What did Jed tell you?'

"He said you two were siblings." Lita replied.

"No, that...The only sister I have is Lizzie. Are you sure you heard him right?" Andrew asked. Lita recalled. He said Lizzie was the sister, and Rita went to the same university as him. Lita herself said she was his elder sister.

"So, who is she?" Lita asked.

"My girlfriend." Andrew smiled. "It's a little embarrassing to say to other girls, but she is." And Andrew returned to cleaning. Lita however, was too stunned to even move.

"Hey, Lita, after we make what we're making today, do you think you could show me how to make Baked Alaska? That's Rita's favorite dessert. When she goes away to Africa, I want to give her a bon voyage right from my heart."

Lita knew how to make Baked Alaska, but she couldn't even react. Hunky Andrew was taken already? She shouldn't have been shocked, she supposed. Good looking nice guy like him? Had to be.

"Y-yeah." She finally managed to get out. She could teach him to make that tomorrow. She was leaving? For Africa? That far away. So she did have a chance after all.

* * *

It was dark that evening, and Raye was sweeping the steps of the temple when she received an unexpected visitor. In his green coat, Darien looked almost majestic in the moonlight.

"Hey there!" Raye smiled. "I thought you had a paper to write tonight."

"I do, but I wanted to stop over here first." Darien replied.

"Well, don't stand outside like a stranger, let me make some tea." Raye invited Darien inside. It was odd of him to come over when he had papers due, but it was a sweet gesture regardless.

"What may I do for you tonight?" Raye asked.

"I wanted to talk. About us." Darien delivered, and Raye could sense what was going to happen next. In truth, she had felt it too. She and Darien had grown apart ever since, well, their relationship started. There was no passion, no excitement, they did things together so plainly.

"You're a great girl, Raye, and I really care about you."

"We're breaking up, aren't we?" Raye asked. "What brought this on."

"Jed, Andrew and I were talking yesterday, Andrew's girlfriend Rita is researching with Doctor Bennett at the University. She's going to Africa for the next two months."

"Wow." Raye was surprised.

"Anyway, Andrew's really hung up on her and says he'll wait for her forever. And that made me think about us. It's not you, Raye. It's really not. I think you're a great girl. I'm just not the right guy for it."

Raye wasn't sure what to say: No one had dumped her before. And it was painful, she didn't like it at all. But she knew this was going to happen.

"I'm sorry." Raye replied.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You'll be a great girlfriend someday. Maybe if I didn't, well, have all this baggage, things would be different."

"Baggage?" Raye asked.

"I can't go into that. But we're drifting apart as it is, and I think it's for the best." And as Darien said that, Raye knew that she did as well.

And Darien kissed her on the forehead, stood up, and left. After cleaning up the tea, Raye went into her room and dressed for bed. It was much earlier than she usually slept, and she wasn't tired. But she wrapped herself in her blanket.

She didn't want to cry, this was the conclusion she herself had drawn. But it still hurt. She wanted to talk to someone who wouldn't criticize her, someone who knew things would be all right despite this. Someone like Amy. Or Jedite. Jedite wouldn't do that.

But she couldn't let them see her like this, on the verge of tears, heartbroken and miserable like she was the only person in the world.

So she wrapped herself in her blankets, let herself feel warm. She imagined a man's strong arms were holding her, stopping her from falling into the abyss of despair. Jedite's strong arms.

"_Stop it, girl! Not only do you two work together, but he's not human, and doesn't do relationships. You've read magazines, you know the stories about rebound dating anyway. Just get some sleep, girl."_

_

* * *

_

"So, the target is this woman?" Zoicite looked at his target in the reflection of the Black Crystal along with Malachite. The woman was dressed in a lab coat and maroon dress. Her name was Rita Blake, a research student. She was to be headed for Africa shortly, and Zoicite wasn't inclined to go there, where there'd be tons of researchers and less privacy.

"She seems to be a remarkable woman." Malachite noted. "Perhaps she'll be an even more remarkable youma. And with that crystal in Queen Beryl's hands, we'd be one step closer to our mission. And more time for us." Malachite stretched his arms around Zoicite, and he couldn't help but feel a bit enchanted. There was a time when Zoicite was considered the least the Shitennou. He was the youngest of the four great generals, after all. But it was Malachite who saw the real spark in Zoicite. Nephrite may have been powerful, but Zoicite was willing to do what it took, to advance and serve the mission.

And Malachite saw this, and took the younger under his wing. Thanks to his tutelage, Zoicite honed his abilities to surpass the true weakest link, Jedite. Zoicite didn't mind being seen as weaker to Malachite, but not the other two.

"I will get this crystal for you, Malachite. Tomorrow Beryl shall have three of them."

"Do not be hasty, Zoicite. You've mentioned that you never saw the odd security guard since the second crystal. He could be planning something."

"What could such a man do?" Zoicite asked. Power he certainly had, but it was crude, rough. Zoicite could exhaust him to the point where he could be finished off. He fought erratically, and that made him weak.

Zoicite was ready for this mission.


	74. Tranquil Fury

"Hey, Lita." Andrew opened the door to let in the woman who was going to teach him to cook Rita's favorite dessert.

"Hidey-ho!" Serena's voice sounded before Lita could return the greeting.

"Serena? You came too?" Andrew asked.

"Lita told me you two were making dessert today, and I just couldn't resist!" Serena giggled.

"We're cooking." Lita corrected. "We won't be able to eat until it's made."

"I can wait."

"If you don't cook, you don't eat." Serena told her friend. Andrew laughed at the two of them. They were so much like Lizzie, Andrew's little sister.

"Well, let me get everything set up." Lita went into the kitchen. Andrew didn't know how to make Baked Alaska, but Rita positively loved it, and, before she was to leave for Africa, he wanted to give her something that would make her very happy.

"All righty. The first trick to Baked Alaska is that the oven needs to be up really high. The trick is to place it in the oven just long enough to firm the meringue and not enough to melt the ice cream." Lita instructed.

"There wasn't a single food in there I didn't like!" Serena smiled.

"But before that, we have to make everything. Alright, we're going to start by making the sponge cake. That's actually pretty simple." Lita got out the necessary ingredients, and Andrew paid attention. He watched as Lita separated the eggs, and mixed egg yolks with sugar, then the flour and egg whites came after.

"Now we bake it until it's down. This part you'll have to set up earlier, it takes a half hour for the cake to bake."

"Alright." Andrew smiled. "I never knew this was so complicated."

"It's easier than it looks, it just has a lot of separate components. So Rita's going away to Africa, is she?" Lita asked.

"That's right." Andrew sighed. Not having her around was going to be really tough, and there was no way he could go with her. Darien had told him long-distance relationships didn't work, and Jed wasn't much for romance at all, but they couldn't be right. They had never met a girl like Rita, a nice, pretty engaging thing, that made Andrew want no other, and there were plenty of pretty, interesting girls that crossed his path. His mind always went back to Rita.

"After that, now we have to make meringue." Lita replied.

"Okay, show me how it works." Andrew asked.

"Wow, you two are really into this!" Serena smiled. Both Andrew and Lita didn't pay her much mind.

As Lita was mixing the meringue, the telephone started to ring.

"Hold on, let me answer that." Andrew excused himself for a moment to answer the phone.

"Hello?" He spoke into the phone.

"Andrew?" It was Rita's voice on the other line. He was elated to hear from her, she so rarely called. It wasn't much of a big deal, since they usually spoke at the university, but it always made him feel much better when she did.

"How is it going?" He asked politely.

"Andrew?" Rita's voice sounded sad.

"What's wrong, Rita?" Andrew asked concernedly. She was talking so softly, she sounded like she was hurting. He had to get to her and be with her. Perhaps this transition to Africa was bothering her more than she let on.

"Hey girls!" Andrew called to Lita and Serena. "I've gotta dash for a bit. Do you think you can wait here a moment."

"Sure. But if you take too long, I'm eating that dessert!" Serena smiled. She had such a one-track mind. Andrew headed out. Rita needed him, and he needed to get to her.

* * *

The university was nearly deserted at night, the only people around where those who stayed late to work on their projects.

Rita Blake was one of them, and Zoicite was determined to get that crystal from her. Right now she was working in one of the buildings around other people, but she wouldn't stay there forever. And, soon enough, Zoicite saw the slender woman emerge from the building. She walked all the way towards a telephone booth, and started to call someone. Once she finished, she leaned on the phone booth as if waiting for someone. Now was the time to strike.

Zoicite strode over. Rita turned to look at his footsteps, but when she saw it was Zoicite, she didn't pay much attention. She was waiting for someone, Zoicite deduced. She wasn't expecting to wait for the general, but soon she'd remember everything.

"Hello, Rita." Zoicite called. At the mention of her name, Rita's eyes widened.

"How did...you know my name?" Rita asked.

"I know a lot of things." Zoicite replied. "But what I'm more interested in now is that you have something of mine." Zoicite stated.

"Huh?" Rita asked. Ignorant of her own past, what a horrible thing those Rainbow Crystals did. Just one more reason to remove it.

Zoicite pulled out the Black Crystal. It was reacting, it was ready.

"Get away from me, you crazy man." Rita turned to walk away from Zoicite.

"Get back here!" Zoicite fired the Black Crystal at Rita. And she screamed out.

"You're on my side, Rita, you just don't remember." Zoicite replied. "Let me help you and remove that troublesome Rainbow Crystal." Zoicite could start to see it, a crystal the same size as the others, blue as water.

"_Perfect." _Zoicite thought.

"What's going on!" A male voice from behind Zoicite drew his attention. A tall blonde man in a white shirt and slacks stood on the other side of him.

"Rita!" He called out to Rita, who dropped to her knees now that the attack was stopped. He ran over to her.

"_Figures." _Zoicite thought. A random civilian getting involved. But if that was all the problems this would throw at her, this would be nothing. Zoicite could sense this man's energy, and, while it was bristling and bright with rage, there was nothing special about it. Perhaps Rita was a relative or some other relation to him.

Zoicite could deal with him with one hand tied behind her back.

* * *

After an uneventful night of filming, Jedite realized he was close by to the university. Perhaps Andrew or Darien were still there, and would be interested in getting coffee or something.

Perhaps not, but it was worth a look, it wasn't as if Jedite had anything else planned. He took a walk around the university. Both Darien and Andrew, if they were here, would be in the sciences building, just like Rita. Jedite s till remembered where it was. He started to walk towards it, when he immediately felt a very powerful energy from somewhere nearby. It felt like a Rainbow Crystal. And another signature felt like Zoicite.

Jedite immediately sprung to action, he wasn't going to let Zoicite get away with this one. But before he ran out, he immediately turned to the public phone nearby, and gave a quick call to Raye.

"Hello?" Raye's voice answered, and Jedite was thankful that she did.

"Scout business. Get to K.O. University."

"Right!" Raye responded immediately, ready for action. She would contact the rest of the Scouts, all Jedite needed to do now was hold out and keep the crystal and youma here so they could claim it once everyone was there.

Jedite began to move forward, heading towards the energy. Zoicite wasn't going to get away with this one.

But he wasn't prepared for the sight he saw as he headed closer. Zoicite was there, that much was certain. And so were some familiar faces. Andrew was standing behind Rita, his body spread wide as if ready to protect her.

It was hard for Jedite to pinpoint the source of the crystal, but he'd been around Andrew a number of times and felt nothing, so it had to be coming from Rita.

And Zoicite calmly rose up his hand and unleashed a wave of energy at Andrew, knocking him backward and onto the ground.

"Andrew, no!" Rita called as she bent down beside him. Andrew was not moving, his eyes were shut.

For a second, Jedite almost gave into his rage and attacked Zoicite again. It would be a surprise blow, perfect for doing some real damage. He prepared his body to release a wave of energy.

"_No! Calm down, Jedite. Don't give into your rage." _He thought. Such emotions would consume him, as they did Nephrite. He breathed, and the heat subsided. He was still furious, but he was calm. He breathed.

Zoicite stepped towards Rita, ready to claim the crystal. But Jedite wasn't about to let that happen. He unleashed a smaller, more precise attack. A thin ray aimed right at Zoicite's back.


	75. The Way you Spell Success

Zoicite didn't hear anything nearby him as he leveled the crystal towards Rita. Another crystal, another youma. That random civilian, Andrew was what he was called, was now unconscious on the ground, just like any civilian who dared to mess with the mighty Zoicite would be.

Just before Zoicite could emit the Black Crystal's energy, he felt something from behind him. Too late he realized it was an energy attack, a thin beam aimed square at his back. And it staggered Zoicite. That attack actually staggered him. True, he wasn't expecting it, but it still took a fair amount of power to send out such an attack. While not as powerful as Malachite, or even Nephrite, it was powerful in it's own right.

Zoicite turned to face it, and, from out of the darkness, stepped a blonde man, and Zoicite recognized his energy immediately as the security guard. So he was making his move now? He was bold, to challenge in such an open setting.

"Jed?" Rita, from behind Zoicite called over to him.

"Rita, get out of here!" The security guard returned. So his name was Jed? Names mattered nothing to Zoicite, but it would help to have a term of reference to speak of him to Beryl once he was slain.

"But Andrew..." Rita started. Humans were so simple, they always thought of others.

"Rita!" Jed pleaded. Zoicite wasn't going to waste anymore time with this. He turned the Black Crystal on Rita. She screamed out in pain.

"No!" Jed shouted, and pointed his palm towards Zoicite. He was going to attack, but Zoicite would be ready for it. He leapt into the air and hovered, still keeping the Black Crystal trained on Rita. The Crystal first. Once that was gone, there would be a powerful youma for this Jed to deal with. He was not Sailor Moon, possessor of the Crescent Moon Wand, he could not heal her. And youma were tough. She could keep him busy long enough for Zoicite to get away.

A soft azure light came from Rita's chest and the crystal emerged. Finally!

"No! It's mine!" Jed shouted, and Zoicite could feel his energy again. Was he going to try and attack like he did at Yokohama. If he attacked the Black Crystal, Zoicite could lose control of the Rainbow Crystal, and it would fly off. It would be a nightmare to find.

Zoicite put the Black Crystal behind him. He would not fall for the same mistake twice. Jed extended his hand, palm forward, towards Zoicite. And Zoicite could feel energy emitting from his hand, although there was no physical body to it. So he possessed techniques like the Shitennou themselves? There were billions of humans in the world, there was bound to be one who had powers like his own, Zoicite shrugged. Zoicite felt the energy rush blast him like a gust of wind. How pathetic, it didn't even do anything.

"You've gotten weaker." Zoicite taunted Jed. And Jed only smiled. That was not the face of someone whose attack had just failed. Zoicite looked around and hovered higher, hoping to avoid whatever sort of ambush Jed had planned.

Nothing, nothing happened to him.

"_The Crystal!" _Jed's target, like Zoicite's, was the Rainbow Crystal, and Zoicite went to look for it. And just in time, he saw a blue light flash away at a high speed, past Rita, who was almost finished her transformation into a youma, and out of sight.

"_That man!" _Zoicite thought. So he wasn't some brute, he had strategy. He knocked the crystal away with the attack so Zoicite couldn't get it. Clever. But Zoicite could not lose the crystal now.

"Rikoukeidar!" Zoicite called to her youma. "Eliminate that meddler!" Zoicite quickly moved to deal with the crystal. He could not lose it. He could not lose to this troublesome man.

Quickly, Zoicite flew to where the crystal had disappeared to. It could not have gotten far. It seemed to have flown towards a building under construction. It might have been difficult to find, but it lay delicately next to some large iron pipes.

"_Heheh." _Zoicite laughed as he pulled the crystal with telekinesis. But before it could reach him, a familiar pain shot through his arm, dropping the crystal and bringing Zoicite to the ground.

Tuxedo Mask had come to fight.

* * *

It didn't take long for Rita to turn into a youma, with green skin and a wild hairstyle.

"Master Zoicite, your will be done. Feel the power of the Negaverse, interloper!" The monster threw some small pellets at Jedite, which he dodged by hovering. A good thing, too, for once the pellets hit the ground, large green creatures began to emerge. They couldn't reach Jedite in the air.

For a second, Jedite wasn't sure what to do. It was a one-sided battle if Jedite were to deal with this youma, but what would happen to Rita. He did not have the ability to restore her like Sailor Moon did, and if he destroyed her, Rita could die. How could he look Andrew in the face if he did that? Rita had no more control over herself than anyone else who was brainwashed.

But Jedite saw another attack coming, and he moved. While he couldn't hurt Rita, maybe he could subdue her. Knock her down and immobilize her. But then Zoicite would get away with the crystal. And if he left to deal with the crystal, who knew what the youma could do on her own. Andrew was still unconscious, the youma could hurt or kill him.

Jedite attacked the youma's legs, hoping to cripple her. The scouts used their power to hurt youma, and they seemed to be fine once restored. His attacks connected, but she didn't go down. Jedite put a little more energy into the attack, but watched as the youma seemed to create a glass bottle out of thin air. Jedite's attack gathered inside without hurting the youma, then it laughed a bit as it sent the attack flying right back at him. Jedite barely had time to dodge, and it impacted, knocking him straight to the ground. Once prone, the little green creatures immediately swarmed to Jedite.

"_Uh-oh." _Jedite didn't know what the little green monsters could do, nor did he want to. Luckily, they didn't get close enough, for a thin line of fire zapped the creatures, and turned them into ash.

"Sailor Mars, you're here." Jedite stood up. And all four scouts, ready for battle, were right beside him.

"Careful, she can reflect attacks. That glass thing in her hand can suck up anything."

"Then we know what we have to do." Sailor Mercury looked towards Mars and Jupiter. They both nodded, and they quickly jumped and scattered.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" The first attack came to disorient the youma.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Jedite heard Mars shout.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Jupiter immediately followed. And he nodded. Reflecting attacks was a powerful technique, but it required precision, which was lost when one could not see where they were going, and had two simultaneous attacks to deal with.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon immediately followed, and soft light began to wash over her. Jedite could see it was working.

"All right." Jedite replied. "Time for the crystal." He began to dart off, but Raye tugged as his sleeve.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You're going by yourself?" She asked. It was Jedite's first intention: He always did things himself, but he paused. He might have been able to stall the youma without getting hurt by himself, but it took teamwork to succeed. Every attempt to get the crystal had been met with failure, and both Zoicite and Tuxedo Mask succeeded when their teamwork failed.

"Of course not." Jedite relented. "But we need to be tactful. We only need to secure the crystal."

* * *

Tuxedo Mask and Zoicite were locked in a staredown for the crystal, which sat in between them. It was calling to him like a beacon. Tuxedo Mask could swear the Moon Princess's voice came from the crystal.

But Tuxedo Mask could not grab it, Zoicite would strike. Just as if Zoicite attempted to use his telekinesis or merely grab it himself, Tuxedo Mask would strike back. It was a deadly stalemate, a game of chicken. To see who would flinch first.

Several bluffs were made, but the two had their eyes locked on each other, with only occasional glances at the crystal, which glimmered back in the moonlight faintly.

"That crystal is mine." Zoicite stated.

"There is no way I'll allow it to be taken by anyone." Tuxedo Mask returned. Even the Sailor Scouts would not be allowed to take it. Once he had the Imperium Silver Crystal, it would go to the Moon Princess. That's all.

Tuxedo Mask readied his cane for the eventual strike. Zoicite was not a patient man. He would move first. And then, the third crystal, and maybe more, if Zoicite was carrying the others with him, would belong to Tuxedo Mask.

* * *

Jedite led the Scouts towards a construction site. As they reached an opening in the high-walled fence, Jedite gave an order to hush the Scouts.

Sailor Mars followed it, so did the others. Silently, Sailor Mercury peaked around the corner.

"Zoicite and Tuxedo Mask are around the crystal." Mercury reported what she saw.

"They must be waiting for the other to move. It would be just like Zoicite to attempt a sneak attack when Tuxedo Mask isn't looking." Jedite agreed.

"We can't go in with guns blazing, that could be just the distraction one of them is looking for." Mars remembered her last failure.

"All we need is the crystal, right?" Jupiter asked.

"If we just grab it, we leave ourselves open to both of them." Jedite replied.

"No way, Tuxedo Mask would never join with Zoicite." Sailor Moon protested.

"Not like that, but he would launch an attack to make sure we don't leave. Zoicite could use that to snatch the crystal himself."

"A bluff." Sailor Mercury thought quickly. "Jedite, grab the crystal with your telekinesis, then dart out of sight and teleport away. Once Zoicite rounds the corner, with hit with everything at once. I'll lay down some cover with my bubbles, and we'll disappear, de-transform, meet up back at Jedite's apartment."

"You're brilliant, Amy." Jedite praised, and Mercury blushed a bit. Mars couldn't help but feel a little jealous: Praise from Jedite was not won easily.

"Break!" Jedite stepped out, and stretched out his hand.

"What!" Mars's angle prevented her from seeing what was happening with Zoicite and Tuxedo Mask, but she heard Tuxedo Mask call out in surprise.

"How dare you!" Zoicite's voice was indignant. Mars watched as Jedite swung his hand forward to snatch the crystal right from mid-air.

"Like a kid on Christmas morning." Jedite laughed at the two of them before running towards Mars, and out of sight from Zoicite. Once he was safely hidden, Jedite began to glow brightly, used his teleportation, and disappeared from sight.

"We did it!" Sailor Moon cheered.

"Get back here!" Zoicite's voice shouted. Mars could hear him moving closer.

"Get ready." Mars was prepared. It may have been Amy's plan, but execution was another matter, and Sailor Mars was determined to do it right.

Zoicite's body, hovering slightly, came across. He barely had time to react to the Sailor Scouts.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

"Mars Fire Ignite!"

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!"

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" All of the Sailor Scouts launched attacks at the same time. Zoicite attempted to use telekinesis to block, just as Jedite used to be able to, but, just like with the youma, the multiple attacks converged from different angles and knocked the general down.

"This isn't going to end well." Zoicite replied before disappearing from sight.

"Yes!" Jupiter smiled. This was a good battle, Mars thought. They saved the youma and got the crystal at the same time. Now, with one of the crystals, it might have been easier to locate the others. She'd have to ask Jedite to know for sure.

"Come on, let's get back to Andrew. He might need a head bandage." Sailor Moon replied.

"Don't worry, I know how to do it." The scouts began to de-transform. Tuxedo Mask must have seen the futility of the attempt after watching Zoicite fail and decide it wasn't worth pursuing Jedite.

Raye liked the feeling of victory. She hoped to do it with the last two crystals.

* * *

Andrew's body ached badly as his eyes awoke. He was lying on his back, staring up at the moon.

"Rita!" His mind immediately flashed to where he was. He came here to find Rita. He looked around to see her nearby. She was getting to her feet, being assisted by Lita, the great cook, and Serena herself. She looked a little dusty, but there didn't appear to be any scrapes on her body.

"Careful." Andrew heard the voice of Amy, Serena's smart friend, beside him. "You've got a nasty bump." Andrew's head hurt like a hangover, but he could only think about Rita.

Andrew wasn't sure he could remember what happened. Rita called him, he came, and there was this crazy guy. A mugger? And then Andrew went flying backward, but he didn't remember the mugger throwing anything at him. It was almost like magic.

"_Get a hold of yourself, man. There's no magic like that." _Amy, as well as Raye, Serena's friend from the temple, helped Andrew to his feet.

"I tied a bandage." Amy told him. "But you still might want to have it looked at. My mother is working late tonight, I can bring you to her."

"No, I'm all right." Andrew smiled at Amy. She did a good job on her first aid. She'd make a good doctor or paramedic someday, whichever direction her studies took her.

"Andrew." Rita walked over to him. "You tried to protect me."

"I'm sorry." Andrew apologized. Tried was the word he was hung up on, he didn't actually do it.

"Sorry? Andrew, you did what few others could do. Hey, wasn't Jed with you?" Rita hugged Andrew.

"He chased the bad guy off." Raye replied.

"Well, I really owe him." Andrew smiled. "But what's important now, is that you're okay. What did you want to talk to me about?" He asked.

"Come on, guys." Serena stated. "Let's go back to Andrew's and finished that cake he was making."

"Cake?" Rita asked.

"I wanted to make you Baked Alaska, before your trip." Andrew blushed.

"My favorite. You remembered." She smiled.

"I've always remembered. I'm mad for you, Rita Blake." Andrew stated. "And when you go to Africa, just remember that when it's over, I'll be right here, waiting for you."

"By then, you'll be an intern." Rita smiled. "Oh, Andrew. I don't want anyone else but you either. I'll go on the project, and when I come back, I'll watch your first surgery. No matter how long the flight it takes me." And Rita stepped forward and kissed him. She loved him too. Loved him like that. It made Andrew feel like he was on top of the world.

"Uhh, Rita, I think the girls are still watching." Andrew noticed that Serena and her posse hadn't completely left yet. They looked absolutely excited.

"Let `em!" Rita kissed Andrew again.


	76. Wounded

With all the Scouts assembled in his apartment, Jedite stared at the crystal. He only had time to briefly look at them when he had the one from Father Brooks, but now he could properly appreciate what it was he was holding.

The crystal was blue, the size of his fist but exceedingly light. But it was the energy of the crystal that was weird. Even if Jedite hadn't known that the Rainbow Crystal was a piece of the Imperium Silver Crystal, he could feel the incredible energy from the piece.

It made him nervous, though. The Imperium Silver Crystal had the power to seal away Queen Metallia, a being whose power Jedite couldn't being to fathom. Far more powerful than him, that was for certain. Who knew what this crystal could do, given the chance.

"You should hold onto it, Sailor Moon."

"Me?" Serena was a little reluctant when she was told.

"You are the leader, aren't you?" Jedite asked.

"Serena, it is important that this crystal is kept safe until we can find the Princess of the Moon." Luna quickly pointed out.

"But...really?" Serena replied.

"I am no leader." Jedite shrugged his shoulders. "Not one to move large groups, anyway. Besides, the responsibility would be good for you. It would encourage you to be attentive and always ready."

"Hey, I'm attentive!" Serena returned.

"Serena, just today you didn't study and got a 20 on your exam." Amy pointed out.

"And you were late for the Scout meeting!" Raye went quickly.

"And you tried to swipe my ice cream when I wasn't looking." Jedite continued.

"You guys are mean!" Serena wailed.

"Serena, this is serious business." Raye continued. "If we aren't all at a hundred percent, the Negaverse will win."

"I agree." Jedite added. "Zoicite is beyond ruthless, and we should consider ourselves fortunate Malachite didn't involve himself directly in our plots as of late, since he's ten times worse. We need to be prepared to make very difficult decisions in the future. There's only two crystals left to claim. Once those are gone, Zoicite won't waste any time coming after us and Tuxedo Mask."

"We've done a good job before, we've handled all of their youma before." Serena replied.

"I have to agree with Jedite." Raye replied. "Zoicite goes after the crystals the way he does because he needs the Black Crystal to extract them. He doesn't need them to go for ours, so he can use any number of tricks."

"Thanks for the backup, Raye." Jedite noted.

"What's going to be our next plan?" Lita asked.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do with the crystal to scan for the others." Amy replied.

"Neither can I." Jedite added. "Well, at least we have it, at any rate."

"For right now, I say that we continue as we are, making sure Zoicite doesn't get the other two crystals. That way the youma can't do any more harm." Amy informed.

"Yeah, good plan." Serena smiled. "See you all tomorrow." She started to head out the door.

"Serena!" Jedite called back.

"Yes?"

"I'm still holding the Rainbow Crystal." Jedite returned, holding up his hand, where the crystal was still clenched.

"Oops!" Serena replied.

"Are you sure you should give it to her. With our luck, she'll wake up tomorrow and think it's a piece of rock candy and eat it." Raye replied.

"Hey!" Serena called back.

"At least Zoicite wouldn't be able to claim it." Jedite joked. He and Raye laughed.

"You two are horrible!" Serena wailed.

"No more horrible than the person who was given one assignment she couldn't even start!" Raye replied. Serena started to cry.

"Okay, Raye, I think you've taken it a bit too far." Lita replied. "Come on, she is our leader."

"Sure doesn't seem like it sometimes." Raye crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's enough for one day, Raye. We're a team." Amy sided with Lita, and Jedite could sense a war. Sometimes he wondered what the difference was between the Sailor Scouts and the Shitennou at times. And then, as if on cue, his scars would ache a little, reminding him that the Scouts knew when to stop.

"Well someone has to say it." Raye scowled.

"You could be a bit more tactful." Amy returned. And Amy and Lita left in a huff.

"Serena." Jedite started.

"What?" She whimpered. Jedite levitated the crystal to her.

"Take good care of it." Jedite told her. Serena seemed to regain a little of her spirit back, and bounded out after her friends.

* * *

"I wasn't hard on her, was I?" Raye asked Jedite once they were alone. As good as the other girls could be, they were too inclined to let Serena off easy.

"It really doesn't matter what I think, it's whether it works." Jedite answered. "Though you have been a tense recently. Is everything all right?" Raye realized she hadn't told anyone about her and Darien breaking up, and it bothered her. As much as she knew it wasn't going to work out, it was still painful when it actually happened.

"I'm fine." Raye lied, she wasn't fine, but it would have to do. She didn't want to be fawned over.

"_Although, Jedite still doesn't understand being human at times. And he knows how to keep a secret." _She thought, but quickly dismissed it. She didn't want to make Jedite sad with tales of her failed love. And Darien probably would tell him anyway. She didn't want to be responsible for making him feel bad.

"Well, I should head back too." Raye smiled. "Getting that crystal was amazing."

"Nothing special, it's easy to snatch something when someone's attention is elsewhere. But all of you Scouts attacking Zoicite at the same time. Part of me wishes I hadn't teleported away. I would have loved to see that." Jedite laughed.

"What are we going to do about the crystals?" Raye asked.

"Well, I'm thinking of a way to get Zoicite's first. Given the circumstances, it would be better for us if Beryl had as few as possible. But Zoicite wouldn't carry them with him, they'd be back at the base. That's...problematic."

"I can imagine." Raye replied. They'd have no way to reach the base, and certainly didn't have the manpower for an additional assault.

"But you leave that to me. Just be ready to deal with the crystals. Having those in our possession just means less we'll need to deal with coming from Zoicite. Why don't you head home, your grandpa's probably wondering where you are." Jedite smiled at her. Raye nodded, and headed out the door. Jedite had a point: Raye wasn't trying to belittle Serena, but Raye did want to toughen her up some. She was unreliable to the point where her unreliability was the most reliable thing about her.

"All right." Raye smiled, and headed out the door. She didn't feel any better about the whole Darien affair, but she felt like she could wake up tomorrow and be better prepared for it.

* * *

"Are you all right, my pet?" Malachite asked Zoicite after he had just been lectured by Queen Beryl. She had said nothing new: That they didn't have the crystal and Beryl was losing faith. It concerned Malachite that this odd "security guard", who seemed to go by the name of "Jed", seemed to have forged an alliances with the Sailor Scouts.

Those Sailor Scouts were not enough to harm a being as powerful as Zoicite, but they did manage to surprise him. They would pay dearly for that, and for letting Jed get away with the crystal.

But finding one man in a city of millions was not easy, and the Black Crystal only showed the humans who held Rainbow Crystals, it did not seek the crystals themselves. That would be an infinitely more difficult task.

Zoicite hadn't spoken a word since Malachite entered, and Malachite knew his lover was brooding. He didn't like to lose. No one really did, but Zoicite despised it.

"What is your plan for the next crystal, my sweet?" Malachite asked. Zoicite commanded the crystal to show her the next target. It was an elderly bald man dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. He was a Shinto priest, it seemed. That was the second time a priest had been selected. Perhaps religions were influenced and formed by people who owned these crystals. Who knew?

"I will get that crystal!" Zoicite seemed determined.

"Be cautious, my pet." Malachite took Zoicite in his arms. "You know full well Queen Beryl won't respond well to further failure. Is your injury healed?"

"Yes, Malachite. I will not allow that man to beat me again."

"Patience. He doesn't matter. I will deal with him, it is my duty to find either him or Tuxedo Mask. Now that you have met him again, is there anything you know about the man?"

"Aside from the fact that the woman called him Jed, no. I still can't get over that energy signature." Malachite paused. It was deeply bothering Zoicite, it seemed. While all of the Shitennou, even Jedite, the weakest, could sense energy, Malachite had never encountered this man before. It would be impossible to search for an energy source one was unfamiliar with.

Malachite needed a lure, something to attract him. There was no guarantee he'd run into Zoicite for this crystal. Tuxedo Mask was the one who showed up like clockwork. Zoicite could deal with him.

This would require a great deal more thought.


	77. Gentleman Kumada

Once Raye had left, Jedite was left to his own thoughts, and he had a monumental task ahead of him. There were only two crystals left to collect from the targets of Rainbow Crystal carriers. Once they were complete, Zoicite would begin to make his moves on the crystals not claimed by Beryl.

It was from Beryl that Jedite would need to devise a way to get the crystals back. He could afford to put Tuxedo Mask on hold for a moment. After all, once Beryl got the crystals, that was it, the world would end. If Tuxedo Mask had them, Jedite was uncertain what would happen. Better to focus on the evil he knew.

Beryl would keep such a precious commodity in no place but their own base. She would not have moved it: Queen Metallia would not have been able to move anywhere, she did not have a physical body of her own. Getting there might not have been a problem due to Jedite's teleportation, but finding the crystals would be another. He might still have been considered dead, but that wouldn't last for very long if he was seen, no normal person could have ever stumbled their way into that base.

The plan was staring Jedite in the face, and he didn't like it one bit. For a long time, he pondered what other methods he could use, and he wasn't sure there was one.

* * *

According to the Black Crystal, the old man was sitting alone on the roof of the shrine he lived at.

"_Now this I can deal with." _Zoicite thought. There was another energy signature from a human inside, but the old man was alone outside.

He teleported and hovered in front of the old man.

"Hey, who are you, and what are you doing floating up there?" The old man called out.

"Just here to collect." Zoicite pulled out the Black Crystal and pointed it at the old man.

"Well, here's another crystal." Zoicite looked around warily as he applied the energy of the Black Crystal. Be it Jed or Tuxedo Mask, Zoicite would have no more interference.

"Argh!" The old man screamed out as Zoicite looked around. He didn't sense any other moving energy signatures nearby. Confident, Zoicite looked back to the old man. An indigo light began to glow from the top of his uwagi, and a powerful energy was building inside him. The youma that was this old coot must have been strong indeed.

"No!" The old man called out defiantly. He was going to defy? Let him, Zoicite thought, no human could resist. But the energy in the man did not diminish, and at once, Zoicite could feel it emerge. It wasn't coming from the Rainbow Crystal, it was coming from the old man. And he unleashed that wave of energy. And, at once, the crystal's energy started to subside, weaken. Return to being hidden by the old man.

He was actually resisting? How could that be? What human could hope to match his power? Even with the power of a youma, this was practically inconceivable.

"An old man with some fight in him?" Zoicite was only slightly amused, but mostly enraged. If this old man would defy him, then Zoicite needed to rob him of his consciousness.

"Zoi!" Zoicite unleashed a blast of telekinetic force on the old man, blowing him off of the roof. Let him be injured, and weaken. Whatever weird powers this man had, it would not stand against the mighty Zoicite.

* * *

After Raye headed home, she quietly changed her clothes, and handled the evening's chores. It was a very clear night, with a full moon. Whenever the moon was full, Grandpa loved to sit on the roof of the temple during a full moon. Raye always told him not to do it, he could very easily fall and hurt himself. But getting her grandpa to do anything was like hitting her head repeatedly on a tree. She got nothing from it but a headache.

And then her eyes settled upon a picture of her and Darien. He didn't take pictures very often, and this was the only one Raye really had. She wondered if she should remove it from the frame, but she couldn't. Her relationship with Darien might have been over, but the picture reminded her of happier times. It was nice to think about the past occasionally. And she did for a time, thinking about all her dates with Darien.

Until a loud scream jostled her from reverie, followed by the squawking sounds of Phobos and Deimos, her two crows.

It was a man's scream. Grandpa? Had something happened to him? She immediately made her way outside, in time enough to see Grandpa falling from the roof and onto the hard stone ground.

"Grandpa!" She called. She ran over to him. He landed in the courtyard, fairly far from the main building. What could have happened, he couldn't have just fallen.

She noticed that her grandfather was still conscious, and Raye sighed with relief. He was a tough old guy, Raye had known that forever.

"Grandpa, are you all right?" Raye had no idea what could have flung Grandpa so far from the roof, he was a fair bit of distance away from the temple. A freak gust of wind? What stirred up Phobos and Deimos too?

But Raye couldn't really think of things like that right now. Not with her grandfather on the ground.

* * *

Chad Kumada felt like he had been walking all day before he finally stopped at the Hikawa Shrine at Cherry Hill. His shoes were worn down so badly, he was certain he could feel the gravel on the bottom of his feet. He knew it hadn't been that long, but for some reason, he just couldn't keep walking much further. Getting thrown out of his band, rent money all drying up, the world hadn't exactly been very kind to him these past few days.

While he did have a place to go, Chad didn't like what it would entail. Returning home, back to his parents? Telling Mommy and Daddy he needed their money and their life? Cutting his hair, donning a suit, a possible arranged marriage to keep the family business? Chad wanted no part of such a life.

Chad didn't come to the Hikawa Shrine for any sort of purpose, he was just putting one foot in front of the other, and his legs, along with the rest of his body, was hurting too much to move once he continued. As he sat on the steps, he remembered where he had heard of this place. Someone had told him once before that the priestess here had the ability to see into the future.

"_That sounded nice." _He thought. To know if he was going somewhere, able to live on his own, on his terms, not the life the parents had set for him.

But it was far too late to see the priestess now, she was assuredly asleep.

"_Sleep. That sounds good." _Chad put down his guitar, and bindle of clothes, and lay his head down. The hard stone of the slanted steps was not the most comfortable place he'd slept on. In fact, it may have been a serious contender for the most uncomfortable. But this area was safe enough, there was no crime around here. And more important, it was his decision to sleep here.

Sleep came very easily, to Chad's surprise. He didn't dream of anything, not that he wanted to. But it didn't last very long, for he heard a loud shout coming from the temple. There was a man's scream, followed by words from a woman, that Chad couldn't make out. Curious as to the commotion, he peaked up above to the courtyard of the temple.

On the ground was an old man, lying on his back. Standing above him was a woman, a schoolgirl. She had long, raven-black hair and beautiful eyes.

"_Wow! Hot!"_ Chad thought. He'd never seen a woman that beautiful in his whole life, and he'd seem some hot babes.

"Grandpa!" She called reassuringly to the old man. He seemed to be moving, so he wasn't hurt. The girl seemed to think that too, for she looked away, and then locked eyes with Chad.

"Hey, who are you?" The girl demanded rudely. "I'm sorry, but the temple is closed tonight. Please come back in the morning."

"_Oh my, what a fox!_" Chad thought.

"My...my name's Chad. I'm a musician, or at least I try to be one. I...I wanted to stay here, I've heard things about this place, how it's mystic and cosmic and all that tubular stuff." Chad started to babble, he knew he was babbling. But hot babes like this temple chick always made him nervous. That was part of the reason why he and the band never got along too well.

"I'm sorry but...Grandpa, you shouldn't be moving!" The temple girl started to talk, but the old man propping himself up seemed to stop her.

"An apprentice, is it? What a wonderful night!" The old man smiled. He was quite spry for an old geezer.

"Grandpa, you just fell off the roof! We need to get you to a hospital."

"Hospitals are just a money-scheme, Raye!" The old man told the priestess before stepping to Chad, who bowed out of respect. Chad still wasn't completely sure why he asked to stay, but he truly didn't have many other options in his life. He might as well have chosen the one with the hot temple babe.

"Well, you're a handsome lad, aren't ya. Like Jed, oh, I wonder how Jed's doing now."

"Jed's fine, Grandpa, he still works for the station." Raye stated. "And are you sure about this, you just..."

"I know what I'm doing, Raye!" The old man silenced Raye again. That girl may have been fiery, but the old man knew how to shut her up. Chad lifted his head.

"Oh yeah, you really are a looker aren't you. Well, let's get you inside and get you changed. Come on, young man." If Raye was telling the truth and the old man fell off of the roof, he certainly didn't seem like it. Was he flirting with Chad? Chad supposed he didn't mind if he could stay, and be around the beautiful Raye. And who knew, maybe the quiet temple life would be just the thing to get his music career back up and running.


	78. The Plan

"And he fell off the roof?" Lita asked when all the girls had assembled in front of the temple. Raye had told her the story last night, but she could still scarcely believe it.

"And he refuses to see a doctor?" Amy elaborated.

"He doesn't like hospitals." Raye returned sadly. "And I can't force him, he says they're just a waste of money."

"What caused it?" Lita asked, and Raye had no answer. Lita didn't like it one bit, but she had nothing to go on. If she ever caught the person who hurt Raye's grandpa, he'd be in for a world of hurt.

"And to make matters worse, Grandpa's taken on a new caretaker." Raye continued.

"Really?" Serena asked. "He's up for that."

"You know Grandpa, he'll flirt with anyone. There was this guy sleeping on the steps last night, and he woke up when he heard the trouble. The rest just sorta happened."

"So Grandpa flirted with him. Is he cute?" Serena teased.

"Quit it, Serena!" Raye returned sharply. Serena always had a way of pushing Raye's buttons, and, while Lita did find it inappropriate for Serena to comment on this new guy's potential hunkiness, Raye took things way too far.

Lita was about to retort, but a loud scream from up at the temple grabbed all of the girl's attention. Quickly, they headed up the stairs. Was it Raye's grandpa? Lita reached the top of the stairs and surveyed the scene, her hand was at her wand in case Sailor Jupiter was needed.

But as it turned out, the scream came not from Grandpa, but from a shaggy brown haired man lying face down on the ground. He was wearing temple clothes, it must have been the new caretaker Raye mentioned. Was he all right.

He groaned a bit before trying to get to his feet.

"Chad, are you all right?" Raye called over.

"Yeah." The man wobbled unsteadily.

"Grandpa, what were you doing?"

"Teaching him the ways of the temple. How to be agile and strong." Grandpa replied. Lita had no idea what those two were doing and neither did she want to.

"How is falling on his face going to teach him to care for the temple?" Raye returned. She was just as fierce with her grandfather as she was with Serena.

"At least he listens sometimes. Unlike my own granddaughter."

"Grandpa! You've been acting like this ever since you fell off the roof." Raye exasperated.

"I'm fine. Can still swing from the trees like a man half my age. Even a quarter!"

"You were up in the trees! And you brought Chad there? Grandpa, you two are going to get hurt!"

"Raye...it's...it's no big deal. We're fine." The man, Chad, tried to reassure her. It wouldn't work, a lesson he'd learn like the rest of them did.

"Grandpa, you never did these things with Jed. We're taking you to a doctor." Raye was adamant.

"Aw, relax, Raye." Serena decided to join in the conversation. "Grandpa looks as fit as ever."

"Aw, thanks, precious!" Grandpa smiled cheerfully. "You always get me, don't you?"

"Grandpa, you're the greatest. You stay just the way you are forever."

"Serena, don't encourage him! We should be getting him..."

"Raye, don't be such a wet blanket. Hey, Grandpa, that looks like fun, can I try it!"

"Sure, let's just get you some clothes!" Grandpa agreed eagerly.

"Serena. I. Have. Had. Enough!" Raye, growling in anger, stepped over to Serena. She angrily shoved her down to the ground.

"Waaa!" Serena started to cry, and Lita had enough. Serena could get on her nerves at times, but she was still a friend and shouldn't have been shoved.

"I am sick and tired of you two fighting all the time." But Amy beat her to it, lecturing Raye.

"Now apologize this instant." Lita stepped in.

"Not a chance." Raye replied, and turned to deal with her grandpa.

"_Brat." _Lita thought, and picked Serena up. Those two just brought out the worst in each other.

* * *

That evening, just as Amy had finished her shower, she opened up her books at her desk to start on her homework. Once this was done, she planned on admonishing Raye some more over the phone. Perhaps it was true she was really worried about her Grandpa, and Serena didn't know when to stop, but Raye needed to relax a bit.

But there was a knock on her door before she could get started. She wasn't expecting a visitor this time of night, and her mother was working late. She opened the door to discover Jedite was standing outside. His face was solemn, as if he'd been up all night thinking.

"Jedite, what a surprise." Amy smiled, and invited him in. Jedite had never come to her home before. There was never a need too: Scout business was discussed at the temple or Jedite's apartment, where no one could interrupt.

"Hello, Amy." Jedite smiled.

"What brings you here." Amy offered Jedite some tea.

"I've been thinking a bit, a lot actually. About what our next move should be." Jedite informed her.

"I have to." Amy agreed. There were only two Rainbow Crystals left inside humans, and once they were gone, the Scouts would need to figure out how to get the crystals back from the Negaverse and Tuxedo Mask both. Tuxedo Mask would be near-impossible to trace, since he only ever showed up when Sailor Moon was in trouble. While Jedite might have known where the Negaverse was located, he could teleport practically anywhere. Knowing where the crystals Queen Beryl had didn't do her much good if she couldn't reach them.

"I've thought of a plan that should get us the crystals from Beryl, at least." Jedite informed.

"Really?" Amy asked. "We should have assembled the Scouts."

"No." Jedite replied.

"Why not?"

"The base where Queen Beryl remains is still where it's always been, and the Rainbow Crystals will be there. After we obtain the next crystal, there will be one left. While Zoicite is out gathering the crystal, I'll sneak into the base and steal the crystals Beryl has."

"It's a very straightforward plan." Amy remarked.

"I thought you'd see it my way." Jedite shrugged.

"I don't, it's extremely risky."

"Remember, they don't know I'm alive. They don't think anyone knows where the base is."

"But Jedite, if they see you..."

"It's no more dangerous than fighting Zoicite for the crystals. I risk discovery each time."

"You'll be overwhelmed if you're caught, and killed!"

"We put our lives on the line each day, every time we fight them. And we do it because we must succeed. Some days are just riskier than others." Jedite returned. While Amy accepted the validity of that argument, none of the Scouts could come with Jedite on this mission. He'd have no backup. He was the first to admit he was weaker than Malachite and Queen Beryl both, and they would both be there if Zoicite was the only one collecting crystals.

She racked her brain for ideas, but couldn't find one.

"Amy, I know you're thinking of a way to talk me out of it. But we have to take this risk. Once that last crystal is gone, we can't count on Tuxedo Mask to hold the crystals, and we can't assume Zoicite won't find another way to discover the crystals. It is imperative that we go on the offense when they're not expecting it. If it goes well, I should sneak out and get the crystals. If it doesn't, well, then you'll keep going, you all will. Keep this a secret from the others until I go. They'll just try to stop me."

"Jedite, are you sure about this? It's very dangerous."

"It's the least dangerous option we have." Jedite shrugged. "Sorry to lay it all on your lap, but this is the plan."

There were so many things Amy wanted to say, but she could see the look in Jedite's eyes. He was ready for this. He knew it was instant death if he was discovered. But he did have a point: Zoicite never brought the crystals they already had with him when he collected new ones. If they wanted the crystals, they had to go on the offensive, and Jedite was the only person who could reach their base.

It was a dangerous road Jedite was setting himself on, but he felt it was necessary. And, while Amy didn't like the thought, such dangerous risks had to be taken.

Before she could say anything to Jedite, he vanished in a column of light. Amy wasn't certain whether she should tell or not. But even if she did, that wouldn't dissuade Jedite from going. All she could do now was wish him luck.


	79. Refusing the Call

"Chad, are you all right?" Chad could hear Raye's voice as she helped him get to his feet.

"Yeah, totally." Chad lied. Landing face-first from the trees wasn't his idea of a good time, but having Raye support him up totally made him feel a lot better. She sat him down on a bench.

"You don't have to put with stuff like this, Chad. That's not part of the training of the temple. If you wanted to leave, I wouldn't hold it against you, I'd even try to set Grandpa straight."

"It's all right, Raye." Chad replied. "Truth is, it's kinda helping, in it's own way. I have really bad stage fright, and it makes me stumble through my songs. If I can learn to not be afraid of stuff, well, then I can not be afraid of that." While Chad did have bad stage fright, it wasn't the reason why he wanted to stay. At least, it wasn't the only one. He really didn't have anywhere else to go except back to his parents, and that was no option.

"You're really weird, aren't you?" Raye laughed, and Chad blushed.

"Is your grandpa alright?" Chad asked. He could hear it in Raye's voice, the slight waver of her voice when she mentioned it.

"Well, that night you came here, he fell off the roof. I'm worried it might have knocked something loose or something, he's completely unhinged." Raye's eyes became sad. Such lovely eyes never deserved to be sad.

"He won't go to the hospital." Raye said quickly, as if guessing Chad would suggest it. He started to think of other ways to help, but he didn't know. He was a singer, not a doctor.

"Umm...Raye..." Chad turned around to speak to Raye, but she wasn't there.

"Huh?" He looked around, and saw she had stood up and walked a short distance to talk to a visitor. He was a tall man, with blonde hair, well-styled, and very well-dressed.

"_Who was he?" _Chad thought, and then saw how Raye laughed as he spoke to her. She was all smiles around him.

"_What's he got that I haven't got?" _Chad thought. He could make Raye smile with his songs, and Chad knew he was a good-looking guy.

"Chad?" Raye called. "There you are, come over here." She offered. Chad trudged up.

"This is my friend Jed, he was the caretaker of the temple before you were. Now he goes by Harvey Sigurd, the actor on Precinct 52."

"Pleased to meet you." Jed stuck out his hand for a handshake. Chad gingerly accepted. Jed had a pleasant smile, very good-looking man. He had to be, considering he was an actor.

"Nice to meet you." Chad had no idea how he could compete with a guy like that. An actor too, and a very successful one. He had everything, even Raye, it seemed.

"It's good to know someone's over at the temple helping the old man. How's he doing, Raye?"

"Well..." Raye started. "I'll tell you about it later. What brings you by here?" Raye asked politely.

"I have the next few days off, we're in editing, so I thought I'd drop in and see everyone. Actually, Andrew and I are heading out to a karaoke bar after he gets off work. I'd ask you to come, but no one under 21. Sorry."

"That's okay, I'd be way too nervous." Raye chuckled. "Maybe tomorrow or the day after."

"Depending on business." Jed returned. "I'm going to be busy for a while. No need to worry about anything. Well, I should get going, just wanted to see how you're doing. Nice to meet you, Chad." Jed waved, and before he knew it, the man had disappeared down the steps.

Raye sighed.

"I wonder what he's up to?" Raye questioned. Chad had no idea, he just met the guy.

"Hey, Raye, if something bugging you about your grandpa, you can always..." Chad was about to offer a sympathetic ear. Girls loved sympathetic ears.

"I'm fine, Chad. But if you're staying, why don't I put you to work on something more useful."

"Sounds good, Raye!"

* * *

Serena sat in her room, looking at the Rainbow Crystal that Jedite obtained from their last battle. It was amazingly beautiful, like real jewelry.

And somehow, Jedite thought having her keep it would make her more responsible. Serena didn't know how, just holding it in her hands made her nervous. Who knew if Zoicite could detect the other crystals even without them being sealed in the people who held them.

Did that put Mom, Dad, and Sammy at risk? Would she have to stay awake each night to make sure Zoicite didn't come? This was way too much pressure. Why couldn't it be kept with Jedite? There was no one who might stumble onto the crystal in his apartment.

"_No." _Serena thought. She had to do this, she had to prove to Raye and everyone that she wasn't just some dimwit, she was a skilled and powerful Sailor Scout.

"Okay, I'm gonna do it!" Serena psyched herself and looked in her mirror. "I can do this!"

"I knew you could drop 10 pounds!" The annoying voice of her brother Sammy sounded from the doorway.

"Drop dead, you little rat!" Serena called back. Sammy blew her a raspberry before he ran down the stairs.

"_Little brat." _Serena thought. None of the others had little brothers to annoy them.

"Serena!" As Serena went back into her room and shut the door, Luna appeared from the windowsill.

"Hey, Luna!" Serena shut her door so Sammy wouldn't be spying.

"I just came to see how the new leader is doing with the Rainbow Crystal." Luna asked. "It's very good that you're becoming more responsible."

"Right, the crystal!" Serena had placed it in her pocket when Sammy had come in, so she reached in, only to find it was no longer there.

"Oh no, where'd it go!" Serena looked frantically, but found it quickly on the floor of the hallway just outside of her room.

"Serena!" Luna criticized. "What would have happened had your family seen it. They might think you were a thief! Or they would have donated it to a museum or something."

"It's fine, it's fine!" Serena put the crystal in her purse next to her wand.

"This is precisely what we all meant, Serena, you need to be more attentive." Luna stated.

"Everyone's ganging up on me!" Serena sobbed. Maybe she wasn't perfect, but she made one little mistake, and fixed it immediately. But Raye, Jedite, and now Luna were simply merciless in bashing her.

"Serena, we're only trying to help!" Luna stated. "No one's trying to do anything other than that, we just want everyone at their best."

"You aren't doing it to Amy or Lita!" Serena moped. "Fine, if that's what you want, I'll quit being Sailor Moon!"

"Serena, you can't be serious!"

"You guys all think I can't do it anyway! Giving me the crystal was just a mean old prank to prove I couldn't do it!"

"Serena, Jedite gave you that crystal so that you'd be more attentive, and grow more. Get better at being a Sailor Scout." Luna tried to reassure, but Serena wasn't hearing it. She was going to head over to Jedite's, and then to Raye's. She'd give Jedite the crystal back, and then she'd hand Raye the Crescent Moon Wand. She thought she was more mature and better suited, let her do it. Serena wasn't going to be anyone's joke anymore!

* * *

Luna could only watch in shock and Serena, tears in her eyes, ran downstairs and out the door.

Luna never intended to hurt Serena with what she had said, she just wanted her to take her Scout business more seriously. Perhaps Luna couldn't recognize Serena's own psychological limits, and Jedite was never one to pull punches, psychologically or otherwise. He probably couldn't understand Serena was a young girl, and not just a soldier.

Serena wouldn't be answering her communicator, Luna knew. She wasn't even sure where Serena would be going. But the other scouts still needed to know. When times got tough, Serena tended to cling to her friends. She might try to head to Molly's or somewhere.

"It's Luna." Luna knew how to patch into the frequencies of the communicators. While Raye wasn't answering hers, Amy and Lita both responded.

"She actually said she was going to quit?" Amy seemed surprised.

"No way, she's our leader. She can't quit!" Lita stated uproariously. Perhaps she did need to hear it from her, Lita could always cheer Serena up.

"I'm not sure where she'll go, but let's see if we can find her." Luna stated. She just hoped Serena wouldn't run into Zoicite while out all alone. If Zoicite could sense the crystal, Serena would have no backup in which to aid her.


	80. Grandpa's Fall

"_I must be strong." _Raye's grandfather sat in front of the temple's sacred flames as night began to fall. He could still feel the tightness in his chest from when that strange floating man attacked him. What did he want, and what did he do that caused such an intense pain?

That man couldn't be allowed to continue on whatever path he had set: The evil emanating from that man was as obvious as his power, and whatever it was, it couldn't be for anything good.

"_Sacred Flames, I implore you! Tell me of this evil I face, and how can I stop it from hurting my granddaughter or anyone else." _He asked the fire. It crackled, but provided him with nothing.

Why? Why couldn't the fire answer him.

"Where are you, you cursed whelp?" Grandpa now spoke aloud.

"Patience, old man. Haven't you heard that good thing come?" A familiar voice sounded behind him, and, in a puff of flower petals, the slender man from a few nights ago appeared in front of him.

"Cursed monster!" Grandpa called.

"You can't resist me this time, old man." The slender man called out, and placed his hand forward. Immediately, Grandpa felt a rush of wind, as if a tornado had come from that man's hand, slam him against the wall.

As Grandpa tried to get to his feet, he could feel waves of energy beaming upon him. These were the ones that caused the tightness in his chest before, and the immense pain.

He tried to fight it, tried to get to his feet. He still wasn't sure what this man wanted, but it couldn't be good. And if he did what he did, what would happen to Raye?

His chest kept getting tighter, and it was hard to move. Brief flashes of strange images happened in his head. He tried to blot them out, he couldn't focus on anything this man's power could show him.

And then the tightness in his chest stopped, and Grandpa thought no more of simple things. He looked at the man standing in front of him. He was an ally, his master. The one whose orders he followed.

"Let's get back to Queen Beryl now." The man said. Grandpa, although he could no longer be called the head priest of the Hikawa Shrine anymore, nodded in perfect understanding.

* * *

"Are you there!" Serena banged on the door of Jedite's apartment, in complete futility. Jedite wasn't answering his door.

"_If I remember right, he's off for the next few days. Of all the times for him to actually get a social life, right when I need him." _Serena growled to herself.

"C'mon Jedite, I know you're there and..." Serena started.

"Jeez, Meatball Head, some people are trying to study!" She heard Darien step out of his apartment.

"Knock it off, Darien, I've got important business." Serena was barely in the mood to speak to Jedite, let alone someone annoying like Darien.

"Yeah, well, you can knock on a door without shouting to wake the dead." Darien grumbled. "And who on Earth were you calling for?"

Serena froze. She was calling Jedite's name, his real name. Shouting it not caring who heard her. Darien may not have been a member of the Negaverse, but who knew who could have been listening.

"It's...it's just a nickname for Jed, just ignore it," Serena replied. "Do you know if he's home."

"I didn't see him leave, but that doesn't mean anything, I've been shut inside my apartment studying organic chemistry for hours, he could have left long ago. If he's not coming out for that, then I guess he's not here. Why don't you head back home, Meatball Head, and learn to use an indoor voice indoors." Darien returned to his apartment. He was such a jerk, but Serena realized she was going to need to be more careful from now on. Was this what Jedite and Raye meant.

It wouldn't matter, soon enough. She'd just hand the wand and the crystal to Raye.

* * *

Jedite had just finished having a dinner out with Lizzie and her school's fan club for his show. It was rather heartwarming to see all of folks enjoying what he did, it made him smile more, and that made life easier.

Initially, when Jedite had been told he had this time off, he planned on spending it resting, gathering his strength, focusing his mind. He was already committed to this plan of infiltrating his old base to retrieve the Rainbow Crystals, and he needed to be ready. Once Zoicite made his move for the seventh crystal, he was going to move. That way, Zoicite would be out and about. More than likely, Malachite might be watching his subordinate closely, eager to catch wind of either Tuxedo Mask or himself, trying to get the crystals they had no claim too. And with their attention elsewhere, Jedite could sneak back into the base. Only another member of the Shitennou, or Beryl herself, could match his power. And Beryl could be easy to evade, she preferred to sit back and watch things unfold.

But Jedite knew sitting by himself would drive him antsy. Besides, Sailor Moon may have been weaker than Jedite was, but she ended up winning because of her motivation, what she had to believe in. It was more than saving the world: Such a thing was far too impersonal. Jedite needed to protect not the world, but the legion of fans who loved his character Derek Flannigan. His buddies: Andrew and Darien. And even the Scouts themselves, whom he got to know outside of battle. They were important to him. He could remember their faces as he fought. And it made him better. As strong as he was back for the Negaverse, he was stronger now to have a reason to fight beyond pleasing the perpetually disappointed Beryl.

"Jedite!" A sharp voice drew his attention to a nearby brick wall. Jedite gazed above to see Luna standing on top.

"Oh, Luna." He looked around. This street was completely deserted. No one would see them talking. Good.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Jedite came closer.

"I'd say. Serena's trying to quit the team!" Luna informed.

"What!" Jedite was so surprised he nearly lost his balance. "What brought this about?"

"She seems to believe we've all schemed up this responsibility thing just to make her fail."

"Fail? With one of the most important things in the world?" It sounded ridiculous to Jedite, but many human things did.

"Sometimes I think we forget she's still a young girl."

"She's still a leader. When I was her age, I had to be on point all the time, or else someone would stab me in the back to take my place. Look at Zoicite, he was always thought to be the least and look what he accomplished."

"Jedite, sometimes I think you forget she's still human, and weren't raised in an environment of constant fear." Luna pointed out. There were a few retorts Jedite could throw out, but they amounted to "what-if" scenarios, and didn't have place in the real world. Serena couldn't quit, the team needed to be at their best and that sort of friction could tip the balance in Beryl's favor.

"Have you told the others?" Jedite asked.

"Amy and Lita already know, but Raye didn't answer the communicator."

"I'll go the temple." Jedite replied. "I can get there quicker than you since I can teleport. I'm sure Raye and I will have to try and soothe her a bit. If she's not there, I'll try to reach her at her house."

"Thank you, Jedite, I'm glad I can count on you." And Luna darted off the brick wall and out of sight.

So she was planning to quit? Had his plan to improve her broken her? He really wasn't skilled at figuring out humans, sometimes he really didn't think things through. But never did a plan go perfectly. It was dealing with those problems that made good leaders and soldiers great ones.

He needed to move quickly.


	81. The Battle Princess

Jedite teleported himself to the Hikawa Shrine. The only people that should be there at this time of night were Raye, the old man, and the new caretaker, Chad. But most people would never be behind the temple at this time of night. And it was empty when Jedite arrived. Empty and still.

Jedite hadn't even taken a step before he could feel a powerful energy. Somewhere very close by. It felt like...

"_A youma is nearby!" _He thought. He concentrated a bit harder and felt another powerful energy. Zoicite was here too!

"_Oh no, is there a Rainbow Crystal here?" _Raye should be somewhere nearby, but first Jedite had to make sure the crystal didn't get away. It would be positively awful if, after his lecture to Serena to be more responsible, he let the crystal escape.

As Jedite made his way to the temple, he could feel Zoicite's energy getting stronger. And just as he rounded the corner to the front, he could see Zoicite making a hasty retreat with a youma. A creature that crawled, with a red face and long white hair.

"_Where did this youma come from?" _Jedite wondered. He'd been around Raye for a long time, and never sensed the Rainbow Crystal in her. Was it that new guy, Chad? Jedite didn't sense anything earlier.

It didn't matter right now. Jedite had to stop Zoicite from leaving, and attacked his former ally with a beam of energy, directly in his back.

"Agh!" He fell forward, and angrily stood back up to confront him.

"Jed!" It seemed Zoicite knew his name, or his fake name at least.

"The Rainbow Crystal is mine!" Jedite stated firmly.

"I don't think so." Zoicite returned. "Jiji, I think we have someone to deal with, and another Rainbow Crystal to reclaim." Jedite laughed. Zoicite was truly an idiot if he thought Jedite would just charge straight into battle with the crystal in his possession. It wasn't as if it had a power he could use.

Jiji, the monster beside Zoicite, looked towards Jedite with eyes unfocused. Jedite paused, ready to deal with whatever this monster could throw at him. Almost imperceptibly, the monster let out a wave of energy from it's mouth. It moved so fast that, even with Jedite knowing it would come, he could only barely get out of the way.

At once following the attack, Jiji leapt towards Jedite like a beast, moving at a very high speed. Jedite drew himself back into his battle stance. Jiji leaped towards him, an attack Jedite found easier to dodge than the sonic wave. Jiji did not seem to be a particularly intelligent beast, perhaps there was a way to use that to his advantage.

"What's going on out here?" A man's voice came from the temple. Jedite dodged an attack from Jiji and turned to see Chad standing in the doorway of the temple, clearly shocked at the whole tableau.

At the sound of the newcomer, Jiji immediately turned towards Chad and launched his sonic scream at him.

"Look out!" Jedite called, but it was too late. It was hard enough for Jedite, with his superhuman reflexes, to dodge that attack. Chad was flung back into the temple. Jiji immediately moved towards him like a predator stalking prey.

"_This isn't good!" _Jedite thought. Jiji was not a particularly powerful beast, and Jedite should have been able to subdue it fairly easily with his own powers: The youma seemed to be a purely instinctual creature, easy enough to handle on his own. But if he did that, Zoicite would surely leave with the crystal. But if he didn't, Chad would surely be killed by that creature. A normal human couldn't stand against a youma like that.

"_Maybe if I..." _Jedite turned towards Zoicite. If the crystal was in his hand, perhaps he could use his telekinesis to yank it from his grasp. That would give him enough time.

There it was, in Zoicite's hand. He held his prize so carelessly, as if he didn't expect anyone would take it.

Jedite telekinetically pulled at the crystal. He wasn't attempting to be precise, he didn't have that kind of time. It flew out of Zoicite's hands and into the bushes surrounding the temple.

"You! Zoi!" Zoicite didn't appreciate that, and attacked. Jedite ran from the attack towards the temple. He bought all the time he could.

* * *

When Serena reached the temple, she heard a loud noise as she started to ascend the steps. What on Earth was that, some of Grandpa's training? This late at night? Serena began to ascend the steps. If Grandpa was training Chad, then Raye should be free for what Serena had to say.

She heard another crash at the temple about halfway up the steps, and immediately, Serena became a little worried. That was awfully destructive for training. Was something happening up here.

Once Serena reached the top of the steps, she saw a terrifying sight. Zoicite was standing in front of the temple, which had it's main door busted in. Was he attacking Raye?

Thoughts of quitting the Scouts disappeared from Serena's mind, and she immediately pulled out her communicator.

"Amy, Lita!" She paged the other two Scouts. "Come to the temple right away, there's a problem here!"

"Problem? Serena, so you're not quitting the Scouts?" Lita asked from the communicator. How did she know about that? Well, it could be dealt with after Zoicite was taken away.

Serena hid herself behind a tree, away from Zoicite's eyes.

"Moon Prism Power!" Serena transformed quickly, and stepped out from behind the tree to face the general.

"Hold it!" Serena called.

"Oh great, you!" Zoicite was not pleased to see Sailor Moon here. "First that wretched Jed and now you!" So Jedite was here too? Where was he.

"Without your little friends to help you, you're easy pickings. Zoi!" Zoicite attacked Sailor Moon. Jedite had told her about this man's basic attack, a shower of rose petals. She felt a few of them slice into her like a sharp paper cut, but they wouldn't hurt her that badly.

"I won't allow you to continue your evil ways! Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon countered.

"Pathetic." Zoicite stretched out his hand, palm extended, and her tiara harmlessly bounced away, as if it had struck a wall.

"Oh no!" Sailor Moon didn't really know what to do. The Crescent Moon Wand restored youma to humanity, it didn't have any offensive capability that she knew of. What good would it be against Zoicite?

"Hahaha." Zoicite's mocking laughter. "What a weakling you are. How those two idiots managed to lose to you is something I could never comprehend. Zoi!" Zoicite attacked again, and this time, the attack knocked her down.

Weak. Everyone thought she couldn't handle it. Raye was two seconds away from snatching away the leadership role, Luna thought she was a ditz. Jedite pushed her like none other. And now, even Zoicite was mocking.

"_I am not weak!" _Sailor Moon stood up, despite the pain from Zoicite's attack. "_I will be strong, I will be brave. I defend the innocent, and I defend my friends!" _Sailor Moon got up. She wasn't going to back down, dashed to the right, and scooped up her tiara.

"Moon Tiara Action!" She attacked again, angling the tiara so it would swipe Zoicite from the side when it was thrown.

"You don't learn, do you?" Zoicite drew up his hand to block the tiara again. Right what Sailor Moon was hoping for. She rushed Zoicite as he was defending himself from the tiara. He was only blocking the direction of the tiara, and that distraction let Sailor Moon launch a kick striaght to his side.

"Agh! Wretched girl!" Zoicite screamed and drew forward his hand. But then, he trembled, and fell down. A pretty red rose embedded itself in the ground. Tuxedo Mask had arrived, and the other scouts would be here soon. She just needed to hold out, and fight smart. Fight like a leader.

* * *

Raye had just been laying down for bed when she heard the loud crash.

"_What was that?" _She thought. A tornado or something? But the weather outside was perfectly clear. What could have caused such a thing.

She might have been a little bit out of it from being sleepy, but there were some powerful vibes she was getting.

She got up immediately, determined to check it out. As she opened her door, she started to hear the sound of someone running towards her, running at a fast speed.

"Who's there?" She called.

"Raye?" It was Jedite's voice. What was he doing here so late? Had he come to see her?

"Raye, quickly, we need Sailor Mars." Jedite ordered.

"What's going on?" Raye asked.

"Not a lot of time. Zoicite took a Rainbow Crystal from Chad, he's a youma now, and the monster attacked Chad as he..." Jedite started, but Raye noticed something that didn't make sense in what he said.

"Wait, if Chad turned into the youma, how could he attack Chad?" Raye asked. Jedite stopped nearly dead in his tracks.

"Oh, wait. That was my fault. I just thought it was Chad since he just arrived and...wait, if Chad isn't the crystal holder, and you're not the crystal holder..."

"Grandpa!"


	82. Leadership Roles

It didn't take long for Raye to transform into Sailor Mars, and once she did, she and Jedite moved quickly to the front door.

Grandpa? A youma? One of the Rainbow Crystal holders. She would never have guessed it, she truly would not have. Poor Grandpa, to be turned to a youma like that. Everything Jedite had ever told her about the youma in the Negaverse was not pleasant: To serve at the whim of Queen Beryl or the Shitennou, to be expected to give their own life without fail. It was no place for her grandpa, and she had to make sure to save him.

The two hurried through the hall to the main door of the temple, which had been destroyed. Chad, unconscious, was lying on the floor. The youma, a monstrous looking creature with unfocused eyes, heard the noise of Jedite and Raye's arrival, and turned to face them.

"Watch out." Jedite quickly teleported behind the beast, which was confused to his movements.

"Now!" Jedite ordered. Raye hesitated. Hurt her own Grandpa? Monster though he was, he was still a human too, and he was an old man. The rest of the Rainbow Crystal holders collapsed when healed, and they were a lot younger than Grandpa. Would he be hurt severely.

The monster took advantage of the pause to turn towards Jedite and rush towards him. Jedite attempted to attack, but the monster moved too fast, and grappled him, knocking him to the ground.

"Oh no!" Mars shouted. Now Jedite was going to be attacked too by her grandpa. She couldn't use her fire on him now: Jedite would get hit, and the temple might catch fire.

"_Maybe one of my charms will help." _Raye grabbed one of them and ran towards the youma. Jedite was trying to stop it from biting him, but couldn't get his hands free to counter-attack.

"Evil spirit, leave my grandpa!" Sailor Mars rammed the monster off of Jedite, and attached the charm to his face. It didn't paralyze the youma like the charms usually did, perhaps that was a good sign, and fighting her grandpa wouldn't hurt his human self as much. But it definitely seemed to move a lot slower. Perhaps it would be more managable.

Jedite quickly got to his feet.

"We need to get it back to Sailor Moon so she can heal him."

"You're right." Mars agreed. She didn't like the idea of leaving her grandpa a youma any longer than necessary. And with Chad unconscious, who knew what it could do to him.

The youma moved slower, but it was still pretty fast. Jedite broke into a run and dashed outside the temple. The youma started to give chase, perhaps it was attracted to his scent, or believed Mars, after using that charm, wasn't prey. Or maybe part of Grandpa was still in the creature, and wouldn't hurt her.

"_Sailor Moon, heal him. Please."_

_

* * *

_

The Rainbow Crystal was knocked out of Zoicite's hand, and Sailor Moon watched it clatter to the ground. Wasting no time, Sailor Moon rushed for it. Zoicite was still caught off-guard by Tuxedo Mask's arrival and by the tiara she expertly used to bypass Zoicite's telekinesis and barriers.

She dove, and the crystal was in her grasp.

"No!" Zoicite shouted. "That crystal is mine!"

"No, it's mine!" Tuxedo Mask leapt from his vantage point in a nearby tree to the ground.

"Hand it over! Zoi!" Zoicite attacked, and Sailor Moon tried to avoid the attack. But it came too quickly, and the crystal fell.

"Mine!" Zoicite shouted and made a grab for it.

"No!" Tuxedo Mask moved as well. But both of them were further than Sailor Moon, and she ran for it herself.

"Zoi!" Zoicite attacked Sailor Moon again, an attack that whittled straight into her back. She couldn't give up, she had to claim that crystal. But Zoicite was closing in.

"Rargh!" There was a loud roar behind her, from the direction of the temple. Serena looked to see Jedite running straight out of the temple, with the youma from the crystal fast on his heels.

"Come and get me!" Jedite taunted the youma. The youma did not pursue, and instead, stopped on the ground. Then, it roared, and unleashed a sonic wave attack straight at Jedite.

At that, Jedite only laughed, and leapt into the air, hovering in place above the ground. The attack zoomed straight past him, and straight into Zoicite and Tuxedo Mask, reaching for the crystal.

The attack connected, and the two of them were knocked down. Jedite laughed as he surveyed the carnage, then used his telekinesis to grab the errant crystal lying on the steps.

That part was done, the crystal was safe. All that was left was the youma. And Sailor Moon knew how to do this part well.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" She used while Tuxedo Mask and Zoicite were down. With the youma gone, she could focus all of her efforts on those two.

The monster roared, and screamed, but was enveloped in a white light. And when it was done, all that was standing there was Raye's grandfather. The man who flirted with everyone he saw, the old man who was as spry as a child having eaten too much sugar, collapsed to the ground.

"_Good." _Sailor Moon smiled. She did it. She protected the crystal and saved the day. Maybe there was a future left for her. She turned to Zoicite, now getting up from the attack, and witnessing how the battle was suddenly no longer in his favor.

"This isn't over!" Zoicite shouted before disappearing. He knew that the battle was lost.

"You may have claimed that crystal today, Sailor Moon, but one day, I will return for all of them. Just you wait." And Tuxedo Mask jumped and disappeared into the trees.

* * *

Jedite landed on the ground, quite surprised by how well the battle went. Sailor Moon had really stepped up her game in this battle. Where was all that talk about quitting.

"Excellent." Jedite surveyed the crystal. It didn't feel any different from the crystal he claimed from Rita. But having two of them could be beneficial if he studied them together. Perhaps a way to more easily detect their energy.

He turned towards Sailor Moon, who had yet to de-transform. She looked at him with a will of iron, a look he rarely ever saw from her.

"Incredible battle." He praised her. "Incredible indeed."

"Jedite." She looked at him.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"Hand me the crystal." She ordered. It was so odd for her to give him orders. And so directly, too.

"Do you think that's wise, to have both of our crystals in one place. If you should fall, our enemies would claim both." Jedite pointed out.

"To have that crystal would put you at risk, a risk that as your leader, I should be the one to take. We need to keep these crystals with us, and it would be far easier to hold out with one person than to split up. They have Zoicite and that other guy you told us about, they could do it." Serena countered him.

"When did you get so tactical?" Jedite asked. Serena didn't answer. Did battle trigger some sort of power within her that made her more competent? It could very well be the case.

"Then take this crystal from my hand, if you think you can handle it's responsibility." Jedite stretched out his hand, the crystal ready. Without a single misstep, Serena strode over and took it.

"Thank you." She told Jedite.

"No no, you are the leader." Jedite replied.

"I mean for helping me be that leader." Serena returned. Once the crystal was in her hand, she de-transformed.

"I didn't do a whole lot." Jedite admitted. "Well done. I pity Beryl when she comes to face you." Serena nodded, and started to walk towards the stairs. As she did, Sailor Mercury and Jupiter, ready for battle, came rushing up the steps.

"Oh! Were we too late?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"Serena?" Sailor Mercury asked. The leader did not talk, but she held up the new crystal for them to see. It said a lot more than words did anyway. And with that, Serena walked down the steps to head home.

"What happened?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"What it looks like." Jedite returned. "Sailor Moon fought off Zoicite impressively well. I just helped, and Raye made sure the youma did no damage, but it looks like everything paid off."

"You mean, this whole thing was a gamble to make Serena a stronger leader?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"Nothing I set up or arranged, but it seems to have worked very well." Jedite smiled, and felt really good about the whole thing. If worse came to worse on his next mission, he wouldn't be around to help the scouts anymore. And if that was the case, Serena needed to be ready to fight without him.

It was a little morbid, to be planning for his own death. But Jedite was a soldier, a realist. His mission's odds of success were impossible to determine, but he would be dead if caught almost assuredly.

But such was the price that victory made.


	83. The Infiltration

"Black Crystal, reveal to me the final holder of a Rainbow Crystal!" Zoicite commanded the Black Crystal. He had enough of this interlopers foiling his plots: This last crystal was going to be his.

The Black Crystal revealed a red-headed young girl, no more than 10 years of age, holding a large blue cat.

"_How adorable." _Zoicite laughed. He cared not for such things, but it did make him laugh a little. The last holder was some small girl? It would be a simple enough matter to get her alone

"Zoicite." Malachite's voice sounded behind him, and Zoicite turned to face him.

"Hello, Malachite." Zoicite smiled, something he rarely did.

"So that is the last of the Rainbow Crystal holders, a small girl?" Malachite looked puzzled, but all of the Rainbow Crystal holders were of different ages: Most were in their teens and early twenties, but the priest was older, and the old man from the temple older than that. Who was to say they could not be younger as well?

"Malachite, what do you think we should do about the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. Each of them has two crystals." Zoicite asked.

"Tuxedo Mask only seems to show up when Sailor Moon is in danger, is that not so?" Malachite asked.

"That's how it seems." Zoicite agreed. Tuxedo Mask never showed up before Sailor Moon did, and she had been encountered far too many times for that to be a simple coincidence. By contrast, the other man, Jed, could have either shown up before or after Sailor Moon arrived. At times, Zoicite wondered whether or not the two of them were working together, but when Zoicite gathered the crystal from that woman Rita, it seemed they planned their ambush together. They were cooperating, at the very least.

"Beryl has told me she wishes to search for that Jed Hanson man first. If he only appears when Sailor Moon is in danger, we'll have to move against her, and that means we'd have someone else who could attack us."

"I'm about to leave to gather the last crystal. Will you be heading to Tokyo as well?" Zoicite asked.

"No, not at a moment. I don't have enough to search with, not a single energy signature or anything to trace. The best I could do is search for sources of powerful dark energy like you have said he has, but there are a number of sources that hold dark energy. Tracing them would be imprecise. But I will be ready. Beryl will want us to move immediately once the last crystal is secure. And with that out of the way, perhaps the Black Crystal's tracking abilities can be put to another purpose."

"You have been thinking of this. I'll work hard too to get this last crystal. And then, there'll be more time for us." Zoicite giggled, just in time to see a pink rose materialize in front of him. Such flowers, roses and cherry blossoms, were his favorite. When they took over the world, Zoicite hoped there would still be flowers.

He turned again to look at the image the Black Crystal showed him. A small child, very cute in a voluminous dress. Her name was Scarlet, so the Black Crystal told her. The final crystal, and Zoicite could taste it. He had to go over the top with this one, lest Beryl lose faith in him like the other failures.

* * *

"Hmmm..." After school had ended, the girls had all gathered at Jedite's apartment. They had two of the Rainbow Crystals in their possession now. While there was little they could do with one crystal to find the others, perhaps a second one could reveal some more useful information.

Amy wasn't exactly certain, but it paid to be optimistic, and it paid to be proactive.

Jedite had both crystals in his hand, and his gaze was locked on them for a long time. He said absolutely nothing as he studied them.

"Their energy...it's not the exact same." Jedite noted after what seemed like an eternity.

"Really?" Lita asked.

"It's very faint, but the energy signatures vary somewhat. It was so slight I would never have noticed it before. Amy, your micro-computer. Could you get it out?"

"Sure, but what do you have planned."

"Your computer can pinpoint sources of energy, right?" Jedite asked.

"Sure."

"If we can input the energy of the crystals, and plot for the variance between these two, we might be able to find this last crystal before Zoicite gets it, or even claim Tuxedo Mask's crystals."

"That's a fantastic idea!" Raye affirmed. "It just may be what we need to tip the balance."

"I'll get on that right now." Amy began to furiously type into the computer the energy signatures.

"So what are we going to do about Zoicite's crystals? Do you think this technique will work for those?" Lita asked.

"No." Jedite stated. "They're going to be back at the base. You wouldn't have a way of getting there. If we were ready to raid Beryl's base, I would have already been planning the mission."

"That's unfortunate." Lita shrugged.

"There's ways around it, if we can trick them. Zoicite is a prideful creature, and that's an advantage." Jedite returned. "Zoicite won't have the crystals with him when he goes to obtain this last one, but we might able to bait him into a confrontation. He is that sure of himself, that we know more than anything."

"Won't they send that Malachite guy after us?"

"I doubt it, unless Zoicite messes up that badly. Beryl's no fool, she knows Malachite, despite all his power, has no experience fighting us. That's a risk she won't take if she can help it."

"I'm all finished with the computer. Let me give it a try." Amy started to punch in a few commands, and everyone else was silent as she let the computer run.

"I'm sensing crystals nearby." Amy replied.

"Well, we have the two here." Jedite returned. "At least we know it works. Try scanning further away."

"Okay." Amy continued to run scans.

"Hmmm...I think I might have something. In one of the wealthier districts."

"Great! That sounds promising. Let's go there now!" Lita was fired up, and ready to go, Amy was glad to see such enthusiasm, it always helped.

"All right, I just need to use the restroom, head downstairs, girls."

"Jedite, are you coming too?" Raye asked.

"No, that probably wouldn't be a good idea." He declined. Amy knew why, but the rest of the girls looked at him with shock.

"I thought you were off today for filming." Serena puzzled.

"I am, but I've already made some other plans. You can handle getting this last crystal, particularly if we beat Zoicite to the punch."

"All right, but let's meet back after we get the crystal." Raye remarked.

"Sure." Jedite agreed. The girls then filed one at a time outside of his apartment.

* * *

"You haven't told them anything, haven't you?" Amy questioned Jedite once the two were alone.

"You could very easily have given me away. And I thought you needed the restroom." Jedite pointed out. In truth, Amy went before she came to Jedite's apartment. She just needed to speak to him about this suicidal mission he had planned while the Scouts were all away. It may have been true that Jedite was the only one who could reach these crystals, but the danger was far too great, Amy was certain.

"Jedite, you said it yourself, we can lure Zoicite."

"That's less reliable. They won't be expecting this at all. It truly is our best option. Besides, Zoicite's probably already started his move, and that Black Crystal is going to be more reliable than what we can do, otherwise we would have been finding Rainbow Crystals already. The only people I'll have to worry about are Malachite and Beryl. I can evade them. You'd best head downstairs, Amy." He nodded to her, and Amy sighed. Jedite knew Amy wouldn't dissuade him now. But hopefully, the crystals would make up for everything. Once Amy left the apartment, Jedite began to concentrate. He remembered exactly where his base was: There would be no reason for it to move. Even if there was one, Queen Metallia was not mobile, and could not move outside of the confines she was in, considering she was a being of energy with no body.

And Jedite knew just where he would teleport: His old quarters, the place where he rested and slept when he wasn't on missions for Beryl. Youma were not permitted in the quarters of a Shitennou unless they were Beryl's own personal retinue, and even then, Titus was the only one who ever broke that rule.

It would be safe, and undisturbed: Beryl would waste time cleaning it out, she simply wouldn't care. And so, Jedite teleported. Teleporting only took but a second, and soon, Jedite was no longer in his homey, welcoming apartment in Tokyo, but the dank, cold, Spartan quarters he only ever used to make his plans and sleep in Queen Beryl's base up at the North Pole.

It surprised him, looking around, just seeing how much he'd changed. There was nothing here to suggest that the man who occupied these quarters was anything more than a slave of the mistress he followed. He wasn't that person any longer.

"_Okay. I'm committed. Let's do this quickly and quietly." _Jedite thought. He concentrated again, and used his powers of disguise. He turned his hair, his clothes, and even his skin tone mottled. dark black mixed with ashen gray. Dark colors to blend in with the walls and shadows. There was little light down here, and what little there was created shadows everywhere. He could blend in with this if he needed to, make himself indistinct and hidden.

He wasn't about to blow the mission for revenge. The man who used to live in these quarters wasn't worth taking revenge for.


	84. Look at Me

Serena had never been in these residential districts before, but as soon as she saw them, she wanted a house here. They were more akin to palatial mansions, with so much space and many windows. Her own home, while near and dear to her heart, seemed almost mousy in comparison.

"It's around here somewhere." Amy took a seat by a nearby fountain and began to punch in her computer. Lita and Raye leaned beside her, and stayed quiet as she typed.

"My wand isn't reacting." Serena couldn't feel the Crescent Moon Wand giving off it's signal in her purse.

"We must not be close enough." Amy remarked. "It looks like we're about 500 feet from it due north. It should be close by."

"I wonder where Jedite went off too." Raye mused out loud.

"Yeah, I know. He could probably help us detect the crystal's energy." Lita agreed.

"Jedite told me he can't sense crystals when they are in people. And besides, he had already made plans today."

"I guess." Raye sighed. "I just wish he would have put them on hold. He wants the crystals more than anyone."

"Hey, Amy, are you all right? You're a little pale." Lita pointed out. Serena paused to look at her friend, and saw Lita was right: Amy didn't look too good.

"Is something wrong? You looked fine earlier today."

"Well...let's get the crystal first. We can talk about that later." Amy stood up, and followed her computer.

"What was that all about?" Serena asked. No one answered, and they followed Amy to a very large house.

"This is it. It's somewhere inside there." Amy remarked.

"Okay, let's go and see." Lita knocked on the door firmly, and the door soon opened to reveal a very small elementary-school-age girl, holding a large blue-furred cat in her arms.

"Um...hello." The girl answered meekly.

"Hello, little girl. What's your name?" Amy asked very politely. She was always the best at dealing with little kids, and Serena just stepped back. She had an annoying little brother, and had very little patience from dealing with him all the time.

"Umm...no. Who are you?" This little girl was left all alone? That was wrong, dead wrong. Serena's mother never left her home alone at that age.

Before Amy could answer, the cat in the girl's arm leaped out of her hands.

"Hercules!" She called out. Raye moved quickly, and grabbed the errant feline.

"Here you go." Raye smiled. "He's remarkably spry for a big guy." The cat looked up at Raye, licked her face, and then started to purr.

"Wow, Hercules really likes you, lady! He only likes nice people! What can I do for you, Nice Ladies!" That was pretty easy, Serena thought to herself. Even she knew it wasn't a good idea to talk to random strangers like that.

"Well, I'm Raye, and this is Amy, Lita, and Serena." Raye, who seemed to know have a good rapport, spoke up. "Are you the only person home?"

"Yes, Missus Raye. Mommy and Daddy should be back shortly. I'm Scarlet!" The girl smiled, and curtsied with her many petticoats. If she was the only person here, was she the holder of the Rainbow Crystal? Serena could feel the wand reacting in her purse. It had to be her.

"Well, Scarlet. Could you talk to me about Hercules? You must be very knowledgeable about cats. My meatball-headed friend over there can barely take care of hers. Raye bluffed expertly.

"Sure, Missus Raye."

"You don't have to call me Missus..." Raye started. Serena would have to remember that one to insult her later, to get back at her for talking that way about her and Lyna. It was good that they were close to the Rainbow Crystal holder, but now, how could they get it out. And if they took it out, would the cute little girl turn into a youma. True, she could be changed right back with the wand, but was that truly the way to go? Could they extract the crystal and just keep her as a human.

Serena sure wished Jedite was here, he understood the whole energy process. Between him and Amy, the two of them could surely think of something. And what made Amy so pale when they were talking about him.

* * *

Jedite would not be able to detect the Rainbow Crystals no matter where he was in the old base. Queen Metallia's energy was inside every nook, cranny, and orifice, and it filled all of the base. It was so strong, it was impossible to see anything else other than that energy.

That was part of the reason why Jedite chose sneaking around and stealing the crystals in the first place: No one would be able to detect him that way either: They would have to physically see him. And, thanks to his camouflage, Jedite was making sure that wasn't going to happen.

There was only one place Beryl would allow the crystals to be kept when they were not needed: Her own quarters. No one, not a youma, not a Shitennou, not anyone, was ever permitted there without an invitation. It was instant death if you were caught snooping.

Beryl would probably not be in her own chambers now, she'd be on her throne, making plans. Jedite was going to make sure to avoid that place at any opportunity.

He floated gently, just off the ground, in order to make no noise as he walked. Beryl's chambers were not too far from his own, and soon he found himself outside of her door.

He dropped into a crouch and gingerly peered into her antechamber. To his surprise, Beryl was inside of her chamber. She appeared to be alone, and she was looking at something in her hand with a downcast expression on her face.

Jedite had never seen Beryl with an expression that wasn't mild amusement or furious rage, and it surprised him greatly.

"Endymion." She told the object. Jedite couldn't see what the object was, he was too far away. And who was this Endymion? Jedite had never heard this name before. A new enemy he needed to face?

In a flash of light, Beryl vanished from her room, and Jedite cautiously made his way inside. Unlike his own chambers, Beryl's were quite opulent and comfortable. She was a sorceress in addition to the leader, such a thing could hardly be surprising.

"_Rainbow Crystal...where are you?" _Jedite thought. He scanned the room. There were books, and shelves, but he couldn't see a crystal. They wouldn't be thrown around like some knick-knack, they were far too valuable, but they could still be in a location out of sight. Temptation had a way of making more than a few fools risk death.

After a few minutes, Jedite found himself investigating a small alcove near Queen Beryl's bed. Inside was quite a welcome sight. Sitting on a jeweled pedestal was an ornate velvet pedestal, with seven depressions inside. One of them held a deep red glowing Rainbow Crystal

"_Alright." _Jedite swiftly took the crystal and carefully shut the drawer. That was one, now where was the other? Why would Beryl separate them like this?

There were a few other places to look. Jedite decided to check the other side of the room. Just as he was about to open it, he heard a shrill voice.

"What are you doing!" A loud, demanding, cruel, male voice called from behind him. It was one Jedite knew all too well.

Malachite, standing in the doorway, looked full of wrath and standing in a battle stance. That was it, he was caught.

Jedite didn't say a single thing as he turned to face Malachite. There might still have been a way out of this.

"You have a Rainbow Crystal in your hand. What on Earth are you doing with that?" Malachite ordered.

"Isn't it obvious, I'm stealing it." Jedite answered.

"You would steal from our glorious Queen? And you would steal something so important."

"Beryl is not my Queen." Jedite returned.

"Who are you?" Malachite demanded. "How did you find your way to this base?"

"I'm the one who's been causing trouble for your lover." Jedite continued to talk. If he could keep Malachite off his guard, he might be able to teleport away without a retaliatory strike from Malachite.

"You must be that man, Jed. You are no Tuxedo Mask." Malachite delivered.

"And as for how I got here, well, Malachite. You know the rules of teleportation. The first one is the biggest one." And Jedite willed his disguise to fade. There was no sense in hiding now. This would be the only way to keep Malachite distracted, and that was more important.

Stone gray and the color of ash faded from Jedite's skin tone. His hair turned from black to blonde. A stylish uniform, the garb of a Shitennou, covered Jedite's body.

Malachite's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's most important to know where it is you're going." Jedite kept his tone level. He only had one chance at this.


	85. Snatch Up

The house that contained his target was an impressive one, for a human residence. But Zoicite was nonplussed as he studied it. Architecture didn't matter to him, what mattered was getting to that little girl with the cat, the one with the Rainbow Crystal.

Zoicite could see through one of the windows that at least two other girls were in the house with her, and that was problematic. A bunch of people were a bunch of witnesses, and he didn't need news getting to the Sailor Scouts, Tuxedo Mask, Jed, or anyone else.

"_Okay, Zoicite, you can outwit a small girl. What will make her come outside?" _Zoicite thought for a second. The crystal had told her some information about the girl, but nothing that wasn't basic physical data. Nothing about her psychologically. The only thing that Zoicite knew about was that giant blue cat she was carrying.

"_Of course!" _Cats were stupid animals. It would be very easy to manipulate it to come outside, and have someone give chase. Whether the girl came outside herself, or the other girls left her, that would do.

Malachite could use his powers to create physical objects, like the rose Zoicite treasured so. While Zoicite was not on his level when it came to such things, he had powers of his own. And so, Zoicite created a smell. A powerful smell that he despised, although a cat would love it. The smell of fish, a powerful aroma wafted around the doorway of the house.

Now all he needed to do was knock on the door, and disappear before they opened it. The cat would surely dart out at the intoxicating smell. And then the rest of the pieces would fall into place. That last crystal would be his.

Two loud firm knocks, and then Zoicite teleported to the nearby alleyway, where he could still hear the door open. This would be the simplest one yet.

* * *

Jedite kept his eyes locked on Malachite.

"You should be dead." The silver-haired general retorted.

"Maybe, but should doesn't mean is." Jedite shrugged. "I much prefer alive, anyway."

"What on Earth are you doing back here? Did you think to supplicate yourself before Queen Beryl. You wouldn't survive."

"I've survived well enough, as you can well see. I didn't come here for that." Jedite laughed, knowing it was incense Malachite. Jedite needed him off his guard to make a clean getaway.

"You've come to be a full-fledged traitor. You disgrace the honor of the Shitennou."

"Coming from you, honor is an insult. I seem to recall you threw the first blow."

"I was ordered to eliminate the failure." Malachite returned.

"And you've done such a great job, I wonder what Beryl would think if she knew I lived, and was causing so many problems. Seems to me like you and Zoicite are the failures. Can't even stop me."

"So your plan is to break in here and take the crystals. Clever, and bold. I would never have expected it of you. But your plan relied on stealth, and now, you've been caught."

"And I suppose you'll capture me, present me before Beryl as a traitor? You think that will increase your favor with her? All of the secrets of the Negaverse have been disclosed. This location is but the first. What other knowledge do you suppose I could have imparted. Your lover is walking into an ambush right now." Jedite began to bluff.

"Zoicite will not be defeated."

"Truly? Zoicite's lost more crystals than he's obtained. Do you honestly think Beryl will look on him with favor?"

"How dare you try to convince me to betray our Queen!" Malachite was still furious. "For this, you will die!"

"Are you sure about that? What happens if you destroy the crystal." Jedite held the red crystal out like a shield. It was far too small to absorb anything, but Malachite's attacks could potentially break it: Who knew how fragile these things could be for real.

"I've got a better idea, an exchange. I'll take the crystal, and you..." And with that, Jedite moved quickly, beginning to teleport from sight. He tried to move as quickly as he can, and soon, Jedite found himself in the one place he knew was secure: His own apartment. Malachite would never think to look here, and by the time he returned to Tokyo, Jedite would be long gone. Assuming Beryl didn't kill him first for his failures.

"You can take all the credit for losing it." Jedite laughed as he disguised himself as Harvey Sigurd.

* * *

There was a firm knock at the door, and Lita excused herself to answer it. The little girl, Scarlet, was playing with that large blue cat of hers in the next room.

"So Amy, now I've gotta ask. What's gotten you so pale today?" Serena posed.

"Huh? Perhaps I'm just a little under the weather." Amy remarked.

"Amy?" Raye capitalized on her slight bit of hesitation, and looked her in the eye. "You seemed fine this morning." Amy didn't answer, for truly, she was lying. And she didn't like lying.

"Something wrong?" Serena asked.

"Well...I..." There was no sense in hiding now, Jedite was already undertaking his mission.

"I know where Jedite is." Amy remarked.

"Really? What's so bad about that?" Raye shrugged.

"He went to the Negaverse, to Queen Beryl's base. To steal the Rainbow Crystals." Amy delivered. Both Serena and Raye were completely silent, almost unsure of how to react.

"He told you?" Raye asked.

"Yes. He said no one would suspect it and Zoicite would be out. He...he also thought we'd talk him out of it if we all knew."

"Darn straight, that's plain suicidal!" Raye growled angrily.

"I tried to talk him out of it, I did, but he wouldn't listen."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Serena smiled. "Calm down, Raye. We'll get this crystal, and we'll have five. Then we can work together with Tuxedo Mask."

"Serena, Jedite could die if he gets caught!"

"We could all die if we lose." Amy returned sharply. "I don't agree with it at all, but we should concentrate on our mission. We can yell at Jedite later."

"I won't stop yelling!" Raye returned. Before Serena could return conversation, there was a loud meow, following by the scuttling of paws, and a shout calling "Hercules!"

It was Scarlet's voice, and her footsteps were following that of the paws out the door.

"Hey, wait up!" Lita called, but the footsteps didn't stop.

"Hey, you guys, Scarlet's cat just ran out the door." Lita came into the kitchen. No one answered her.

"What's going on? Shouldn't we go chase after her?" Lita asked.

"If her cat just ran off, is that really an issue? I'm sure she can just get the cat and come back, no big deal. She's not in any danger."

"Stupid! She holds a Rainbow Crystal, we shouldn't let her out of our sight!" Raye criticized. "Come on, Zoicite, bring it. I'm ready to wipe the floor with you! Mars Power!" Raye transformed quickly.

"Wow, Raye, you seem really livid. What's up?" Lita asked.

"I just feel like destroying that smug smile of his!" Sailor Mars dashed out following the cat. For a second, the other scouts were too surprised to do anything.

"Come on, we have no time to waste!" Amy was the one who snapped into reality first, and she transformed. "Something this odd could be a trick."


	86. Cat Scratch Fever

The little girl ran after the cat, just as Zoicite predicted. This might be even easier than he thought. The cat ran into an alleyway, perhaps thinking Zoicite's smell came from the trash cans. Zoicite ignored the cat, and waited until the little girl, Scarlet, showed up. Sure enough, the screams of "Hercules!" presumably the name of the cat, and the pitter-patter of small feet came thundering down they alleyway.

"Crystal time!" Zoicite sprung to attack, and unleashed waves of energy upon the little girl.

"Eeek!" She screamed.

"_Now, time for the last one!" _Zoicite thought as she unleashed it on the girl. But nothing seemed to happen to the girl. Normally, before the crystal emerged, the human screamed in pain or protest, and colored light emerged from their chest. But this girl didn't do anything. It was as if she didn't have the crystal at all.

"What are you doing? What's that weird light show?" The girl asked. "Have you seen my kitty?" Zoicite continued to use the waves, but still, nothing was happening.

"_This can't be. The Black Crystal is never wrong." _Zoicite thought. The image of that girl was as clear as day. Her ridiculous smile, long red curls, holding that obnoxiously fat blue cat.

"_The cat!" _Zoicite began to realize. If it wasn't in the girl, it was in the cat. It didn't make much sense to Zoicite, all of the others were humans. But the crystal didn't lie, it could only be the cat.

The cat had gone down the alleyway, but the Black Crystal would help Zoicite, and steer him in the right direction. He had no more time to waste on this brat. The cat was close, but it wouldn't stay immobile for long.

* * *

The alley was a tight squeeze, but Sailor Jupiter found if the Scouts went single file, they could navigate it. It didn't take long before the girls found Scarlet, crying but she did not appear to be hurt.

"Are you all right, little girl?" Sailor Moon quickly bent down to talk to the girl.

"My kitty's missing!" She sniffed. That big fat cat was remarkably fast. "And that weird man wouldn't tell me where he went!"

"Weird man?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Did he have blonde hair in a ponytail, wore a purple and blue outfit."

"Yes. He just pointed some thing at me with a light show and ran off." Scarlet stated. Zoicite just left this girl, the Rainbow Crystal holder, without taking his prize? It wasn't like he was bothered by the Sailor Scouts being there as he worked.

"Well, we'll take care of the bad man, and find your kitty. Why don't you go wait on your front step in case he comes back on his own." Sailor Moon reassured.

"Okay. Thank you, Sailor Moon! You're the greatest!" The girl smiled cheerfully, picked herself up, and walked back to her house.

"Did you hear that?" Sailor Jupiter stated to the others once the girl had left.

"That Zoicite left her just like that?" Sailor Mars pointed out. "Yeah."

"Sailor Moon, is your wand reacting?" Mercury asked. Sailor Moon quickly fished it out.

"No." The alarm on the wand wasn't flashing at all. And that little girl Scarlet was definitely close enough for it to react. It couldn't be her at all. If it was coming from that residence house, and it wasn't Scarlet, the only other creature who occupied it was...

"The cat holds the crystal, Hercules!" Mercury quickly figured out.

"Get out your scanner." Mars ordered. "Let's search quickly."

"Right!" Mercury pulled out her micro-computer and started to type, scanning for signs of energy.

"Towards the river!" Mercury ordered. Mars wasted no time, and ran off ahead.

"Can anyone tell me what's up with her?" Jupiter wondered aloud to her partners.

"I'll tell you after the battle." Sailor Mercury replied. "All I can say right now is that Jedite did something that really set her off."

"Jedite?" Sailor Jupiter questioned. He wasn't here today.

"Like I said, it's a long story. Come on, let's go before Mars gets into trouble."

* * *

It didn't take that long to get to the river. Sailor Mars was pretty athletic to begin with, and she was pretty driven now.

How could Jedite be so careless? That plan of his went beyond reckless and into downright stupid. There were less risky alternatives, alternatives Jedite himself had proposed. Or did he merely throw those out to prevent them from discovering his plan.

"_I could beat the living crap out of you." _She thought as she went to the river. Zoicite was there, holding the Black Crystal in his hand. Standing above a brilliant white light lying on the ground. Sailor Mars knew that light, it was the same that happened whenever someone with a Rainbow Crystal had it removed. So she was too late.

"Zoicite!" Sailor Mars called out. "How dare you think to take that Rainbow Crystal!"

"You're going to stop me?" Zoicite questioned. In his hand was the Rainbow Crystal, shining with a violet sheen.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars moved to attack, but Zoicite evaded.

"Mars, wait up!" Voices called from behind her. The rest of the Sailor Scouts, out of breath from the running, assembled behind her.

"Good, you're all here, that'll save me some trouble. Go and eliminate them!" The white light that was once Scarlet's cat faded, and in it's place was a powerful, lean, furred monster looking like a jungle predator.

It growled at the Scouts, and Zoicite merely giggled.

"Enjoy yourselves!" Zoicite faded from view with his teleportation, the crystal still in hand!'

"No!" Jupiter shouted, but it was too late. Zoicite faded away from view. At least they could get rid of this youma, though.

The Scouts prepared themselves for battle once again.

* * *

"I know that you would not jest about this, Malachite, but I am still quite infuriated." Beryl was restraining herself from annihilating her subordinate once she had told him the news of what had happened while she was consulting with Queen Metallia. Not only were her personal chambers violated, but they were violated by a very-much-alive Jedite, who managed to steal one of the two Rainbow Crystals. Thankfully, Beryl had kept the other one herself, bringing it her when she consulted with her glorious ruler.

Beryl's suspicions were confirmed now: Jedite had survived the attack, and even more, he was plotting against her. He was the man Zoicite was having trouble with. If she wasn't so angry, Beryl might have found the whole thing funny, and dreadfully ironic.

"Your Majesty, give but your command and I will eradicate that stain upon your name." Malachite bowed his head.

"You failed the first time you tried, and Jedite's only gotten stronger since he disappeared." Beryl corrected.

"I can defeat him, Majesty."

"I could punish your for your failures!" Beryl commanded. But she couldn't, she had very few able men around, and Malachite's power rivalled her own. A battle of strength would not be as easy against him as it was someone else.

"Fortunately for you, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself." Beryl calmed herself down. Her mission could not afford random acts of mayhem, and she was short two crystals. If she ever had zero, the enemy could get the Imperium Silver Crystal, and her mission, if it wasn't over, would be a very, very hard struggle just to stay afloat.

"Your Majesty." Zoicite's voice sounded, and he sounded very pleased with himself.

"I have brought the last Rainbow Crystal to you." Zoicite genuflected, and presented the last of the Rainbow Crystals, and levitated it towards his master.

"_Good." _Beryl thought, it gave her more breathing room.

"My Queen, Malachite, you both look so dire, has something happened in my absence?" Zoicite asked.

There was silence for a moment.

"Perhaps you'd care to tell the story, Malachite?" Beryl taunted. She may not have had the manpower to destroy Malachite's life, but she could embarrass him in front of his lover. It would have to do.


	87. Absolution

Sailor Moon stared at the cat-monster, who only growled at her, a low guttural growl. There was no sense even thinking about the Rainbow Crystal now, it had already vanished along with Zoicite. And with Jedite who knows where, it was going to be up to her to stop this monster.

The monster ran on it's hind legs towards the group, and slashed with his claws, claws the size of Sailor Moon's whole hand. She jumped backwards to evade.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Still leaping away, Mercury unleashed her attack. The fog started to block the youma's sight, but Sailor Moon could hear it sniffing the air, and then she heard it lunge towards her again. She managed to move enough to avoid most of the attack, but the monster still managed to smack her and send her flying.

"It's can detect our scent." Mercury shouted from somewhere to the right.

"It's an animal at heart, and animals don't like fire. Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars quickly retaliated, drawing a line of fire between Sailor Moon and the monster. It stepped back for a moment from the flames.

"That's what I thought! Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars wasted no time attacking again, launching two more blasts towards the beast.

"Be careful!" Sailor Moon tried to get to her feet, but the fire from Mars nearly hit her instead.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Jupiter joined the fray, aiming her lightning bolt straight at the youma's nose. The monster yelped a bit.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" With the monster's nose injured, it wouldn't be able to smell the girls' scent.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon reasoned that now was the time, and pulled out her Crescent Moon Wand. Once Mercury's fog faded, the cat-monster was gone, and in it's place was that large blue cat, unconscious, but it looked perfectly alright. Just like any other Rainbow Crystal holder returned to normal.

The girls, making sure the coast was clear, de-transformed. Lita moved over to the cat and very gently picked it up.

"I'm sure Scarlet's looking for you, little buddy." She spoke sweetly to the cat. "Let's get you back to your lady." There were steps leading up from the river, and Lita started to walk straight up, still cradling the cat.

"Wow, Raye, you were really angry today." Amy pointed out. Raye didn't answer her, she just seemed to be looking into the horizon. Was she that worried about Jedite? Serena was too, but Jedite could take care of himself, and he was nothing if not tough.

"Why don't we head to Jedite's apartment after we make sure Scarlet and the cat are okay." Amy quickly spoke up.

"Yeah. Yeah, we should do that." Raye hurried her steps in following Lita. Serena knew, if Jedite was all right, he was going to be in for it big from her, on the side of those Raye lectures that often left Serena wanting to cry.

She just hoped he'd be around to receive them.

* * *

Raye pounded on Jedite's door.

"Jed! Jed, are you there! Open up." Raye commanded. The other girls were behind her, a safe distance away from when she pulled back her arm to pound on the door.

"Maybe he's not back yet." Lita shrugged. "Who knows how long such a thing would take."

"You've gotta be in there!" Raye shouted to the door, which did nothing to respond to her.

"Open...open up! Be inside!" She ordered. Jedite couldn't have been caught. He couldn't be gone. His fans needed Harvey Sigurd, the world needed Jed Hanson to help save it. The Scouts needed him.

"I need you." Raye said softly. So softly someone standing next to her would not have heard her.

"You guys are kinda loud." A man's voice opened from nearby. Raye turned her head, eager to shut up the interloper who interrupted her grief, to see Darien exiting his apartment.

"Darien! Hello." Amy quickly used good manners. "How are you."

"Well, aside from the noise, I'm fine." Darien answered. Raye was a little annoyed with him, but stopped herself from lashing. He couldn't know Jed was gone.

"Darien, have you seen Jed anywhere?" Lita asked.

"Jed?" Darien asked. Lita was far too optimistic sometimes. Much like Serena, although Raye couldn't say for certain that it was a flaw. The thought that he was just somewhere else, not being captured, if he wasn't already dead, made her smile for a minute.

"Someone call my name." Another man moved behind Darien and stepped out into the hallway. Raye's eyes moved to meet this man. Tall man, blonde hair, violet-colored eyes.

She was looking at Jedite. He looked quite well, in jeans and a sleeveless shirt. He was a bit sweaty, but no evidence of torture, or that he'd been mistreated in any way. He didn't walk with a limp. He looked perfectly fine.

"Good afternoon, ladies. Sorry if you were looking for me, Darien suckered me into moving his couch." He sounded just the same as he always did.

"Hey, at least I don't have any stairs." Darien returned.

"Still, you said you needed some things moved. Not things that weigh possibly more than I do."

"My couch isn't that heavy. Well, we're all done. I'm gonna meet Andrew for some studying, maybe we'll hit the mahjong parlor later."

"Sounds fun." Darien headed back to his apartment as Jedite called.

"So, ladies, what's going on?" Jedite asked innocently. Raye strode over to him, stood on her toes, and smacked him straight across the face.

"Ah! Don't wear rings when you do that." Jedite scowled.

"I know what you planned today!" Raye accused.

"Well, let's go inside." Jedite opened his apartment door.

* * *

"Jedite, what on Earth were you thinking?" Raye accused once the group were alone inside his apartment.

"Why are you asking a question you know the answer too. I have no other motivation other than retrieving the crystals. They would have never seen me coming."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Raye continued.

"You would have told me not to do it, I would have done it anyway, and then I'd be distracted by your denials, which could have jeopardized the mission."

"You're right I would've said no." Lita continued.

"I admit that the mission was exceptionally risky, but we need to take such risks. I don't know what happens when we get the crystal, but the second they get it, that's it." Jedite deliver. He was so firm in his beliefs that this was the right thing to do. And when one reached for greatness, there were risks, and sacrifices. Jedite had to be able to make those decisions, as hard as they were.

"Jedite, may I ask something?" Amy asked.

"Go ahead, you already jumped down my throat, you wouldn't ask for that."

"You said earlier that they 'would' have never seen you coming. Did they see you?" Amy questioned. Jedite was impressed, he never noticed his own word slip.

"Yes. When I found the crystals, Malachite saw me." Jedite admitted. "And he knows who I am, too, to answer your next question. I'm afraid we're going to be able to rely on their belief that I'm dead." Jedite had to trade his secret identity to throw Malachite off-guard, and not be actively pursued.

"Fortunately, they don't know I'm Harvey Sigurd, just that I survived. He won't be rampaging around here. And that isn't all that happened." Jedite smiled, reached into a drawer, and pulled out the Rainbow Crystal he had stashed there temporarily until he could get it to Serena.

"I managed to get this as well." Jedite smiled as he held up the red crystal.

"That's the one from Game Machine Joe." Lita remarked.

"And now, it's ours." Jedite levitated the crystal to Serena, who caught it. "Unfortunately, the crystals were separate, so I couldn't bring back the other one. Zoicite will come for it, and Malachite might be right on his heels. And I may not be able to surprise them anymore to obtain their crystals."

"I suggest we all try not to be on edge, it'll just make everyone worried. Let's go get something to eat and try to relax." Lita offered.

"Sounds good to me!" Serena cheered.

"I'll have to pass. I'm going to mahjong, and then there's some work the studio wants me to pitch in for. We're doing a meet-and-greet and holding a contest for a walk-on role." Jedite informed.

"Oooh! Can I..."

"I can't fix the contest." Jedite immediately cut off Serena's sentence.

"Awww..." Serena pouted. She, Amy, and Lita headed out of the apartment.

"Are you not going, Raye?" Jedite noticed Raye was still in his apartment.

"Just...just promise me you won't pull any mission like that ever again." She ordered.

"Raye, you..."

"It was foolish." Raye remarked. "Why do you feel you have to put yourself on the line like that?"

"It was the best choice to make." Jedite answered. Raye slapped him again.

"Stupid." She stated angrily.


	88. A Test of Strength

"Jedite is alive?" That news was not something Zoicite expected to hear when he returned gloriously with the last of the Rainbow Crystals. That the least of the Shitennou not only survived Malachite's assault, but now actively worked against them. Malachite had told her he was certain he was the interloper Jed that managed to steal the fifth and sixth Rainbow Crystals. And with that knowledge, everything began to make sense. The powers Jed, of flight and energy blasts, closely mimicked Zoicite's own. And the fact that he broke in here and stole one of their own was something that could only be done by someone who knew this place: Jedite and Nephrite were the only two who did, and Nephrite was dead, Zoicite confirmed that himself.

"It seems you were careless, Malachite. He now works against us, and any secrets are his to divulge."

"Your Majesty, while Jedite may have survived, he is still the least of the Shitennou and by your leave, I will eradicate him!" Zoicite growled. No one made a fool of Malachite, Zoicite's lover. Not even Queen Beryl.

"If so, Zoicite, why haven't you done it already?" Beryl challenged. "You didn't need to know he was Jedite to eliminate him when he took the other two crystals he has." Zoicite couldn't answer that question.

"But I will give you your chance, Zoicite." Beryl noted.

"I will not let you down."

"But be cautious." Beryl chided quickly. "I don't have to remind you that Jedite's obtained three of the Rainbow Crystals already, and has proven himself incredibly resourceful and cunning."

"He is no match for me. I will eliminate him for you, Majesty." Zoicite proudly stated.

"Your mission is to obtain the lost crystals." Beryl quickly reminded. "If it comes down to retrieving a crystal and letting Jedite go, you will claim that crystal, do you understand? We have only two in our grasp, and this location is no longer safe. We cannot have none of them, by any stretch. Jedite does have the crystals though, and he will show himself to obtain more or defend them. If that happens, show no mercy."

"Majesty!" Zoicite bowed, and teleported away. He had much to prepare.

* * *

Malachite joined Zoicite soon after being chewed out by Queen Beryl again. He was standing over a cauldron, with the Black Crystal glowing in a pale green light floating above it. Malachite waited until whatever Zoicite was doing finished, and then he addressed his lover.

"Have you a plan for the crystals?" Malachite asked.

"Oh! Malachite. There you are. Is Queen Beryl furious?"

"Nothing that cannot be dealt with. I still live."

"Good. I couldn't imagine a life here without you." Zoicite flirted.

"I do have a plan." He quickly went to business once he was certain Malachite was all right. "There's only one other person I've ever Jedite to interact with besides the Sailor Scouts."

"Who?"

"That human girl Molly Baker, the one Nephrite seemed to have a fascination with. She mentioned Jed's name before, but it had nothing to do with my tasks, so I thought nothing of it."

"She could lead you right to him." Malachite remarked.

"Unfortunately, she noticed me take a Rainbow Crystal. She'd never cooperate, and if I tried to control her forcefully, I wouldn't be able to extract things from her mind."

"Hmm...but you did say that you have a plan." Malachite questioned.

"I've modified the Black Crystal." Zoicite smiled. "With it's power, I can change a human into a youma. Molly Baker has an incredibly powerful energy, for a human. We can harnass that, then find where Jedite is hiding. Destroy him, take the crystals. Beryl never said I couldn't kill him as long as I bring the crystals back.

"Well, you seem to have a plan. I'm certain you will not fail our Queen."

* * *

"Hey, Jed, there you are. How was your little vacation?" Director Abernathy asked when Jedite arrived to the place he had been called.

"Productive." Jedite answered. How else was he supposed to answer, that he was saving the world from a deranged Queen and her minions?

"Anyway, now that you're here, I can give you all the details, I don't want this leaked."

"I just know we're having a contest for a walk-on role, Saffron told me." Jedite shrugged. Even a show like _Precinct 52 _needed to run promotions, and what better way than to involve the audience. It was a fantasy come true: Jedite might have suspected this to be an energy gathering scheme, but there was no dark energy he could sense.

"Yeah, although the shooting won't be until later. It's a simple witness role, so they get a speaking line, and they get to work with you and Saffron. You're the celebrities, they want to meet you. So it's three parts: Appearance, monologues, then improv, and the finalists get to act with you or Saffron. We're the first TV station to give a guest like this such an important role, so it's gotta be perfect."

"Well, I won't let you down. So, today we're just setting up?"

"Yeah, tomorrow's the big day. Let's set everything up perfectly. There's going to be video cameras everywhere. They need to see we mean business with this one."

"Hey, anything I can do to help. I'm famous thanks to you, least I can do is pitch and make it good." And Jedite took his mind off of saving the world and the fact that Queen Beryl knew he was alive. Blocking off the stage, setting up chairs, all of that calmed him, focused him. Harvey Sigurd was a separate identity, it was best to keep them that way. He'd go insane thinking about Beryl every waking moment. He had enough of that back when he worked for her.

* * *

"Hey, Moll, are you going to try out for _Precinct 52's _contest tomorrow?" Serena asked. Jedite had told her about the contest yesterday, and was wasting no time in trying to talk to all her friends about it.

"Where have you been, Serena, we're already ready to go about that." Molly replied. "I knew about it two weeks ago."

"Wow. I guess I kinda rely on Jed to give me all the info about the show, huh?" Serena laughed. He could have told her earlier, but, knowing Jedite, he probably would have responded with something like "Between school and Sailor duties, you don't have time for such a thing." He could be downright harsh when he wanted to be.

"And knowing you, you probably already tried to get Jed to give it to you as a favor, didn't you?" Molly teased. Serena grumbled.

"You can try out like the rest of us." Molly replied. "Lots of girls I know are trying out, some of the boys too. It's bound to be lots of fun! Maybe I'll even win!"

"I hope you ladies aren't planning on blowing off your studies to become actors." Patricia Haruna stood behind the two girls's desks.

"No, Mrs. H." Molly quickly returned.

"That's good. As glamourous as a life of acting is, it's not just celebrities and more celebrities, it's serious business. I'm certain Harvey Sigurd is more than just a pretty face, he's intelligent and charismatic." Mrs. Haruna returned.

"Are you entering, Mrs. Haruna?" Molly asked politely.

"What? Me?" Mrs. Haruna went into a speech so fake, Serena was certain she was the first one in line.

"Well, I suppose there's no harm in trying." Serena only listened to the end of what she had to say.

"So that makes us rivals!"

"Girls, it's a one-time role. I doubt the studio would take a schoolgirl out of mandatory schooling just to be an actress. If they decide to recur, it would probably be to a stunning redhead with experience, and would look stunning next to Harvey Sigurd."

"_I wonder when I tell her I set her up with him once and she ended up getting him drunk?" _Serena kept it to herself. That would just assign her more homework on that night.


	89. Harvey's Fate

After the Black Crystal was modified, Zoicite decided that when he went to the human world now, it would only be for reconnaissance. Using the crystal on Molly would be pointless if Jedite wouldn't show, and striking from stealth could create some problems. Molly was nothing if not willful, and she had already seen headstrong behavior in the youma that was the boy with the precognition. It was something best avoided if Zoicite could handle it.

He knew where Molly lived, and teleported there, hiding himself in darkness. Molly was not at home right now, Zoicite could not sense the powerful energy she emitted from the home, just a smaller one that was someone Zoicite was not interested in. And so, Zoicite waited for a time, thinking on what would be the best tactics to use. Jedite appeared to be working with the Sailor Scouts, but physically, he had taken all three crystals he obtained personally. So odd for him, who usually worked through youma. But it meant he had them, so Zoicite had to tailor this to deal with him. His powers may have been weaker, but he was nothing if not clever, if he managed to outwit everyone.

Zoicite hid himself as he felt strong sources of energy coming closer, more than just one.

"So you're actually going to try out, Molly?" A man's voice was speaking.

"Yep. I'm gonna win too! Me, a real idol!" Zoicite could recognize that voice of Molly's anywhere. Carefully, Zoicite peered from his hiding place to catch a look at the folks talking.

Molly was talking to a dark-haired tall man, rather handsome, although he had nothing on Malachite. But his appearance interested Zoicite for all of one second. His energy was even more powerful than Molly's, and it was mixed with dark energy.

Rainbow Crystals had held dark energy within them before, so the fact that a human held it was not surprising to Zoicite one bit. Who was to say there couldn't be other sources of it. But that it was so much was surprising. If Beryl had ordered him to collect energy, Zoicite would have gone after it in a heartbeat.

"Remember, right after school, 4:30. The large plaza next to the Square at Main." The man told Molly. "If you do well, it won't just be a dream. It'll be real."

"Thanks. Goodnight!" Molly trotted off into her house. The man waved at her, and then turned in the other direction and began to walk away from Zoicite. And that's when Zoicite decided to amend her plan. Molly's energy may have been rich and ripe, but whoever this man was eclipsed her own, not to mention it already had a touch of darkness within it.

Such a man would make an even better target. The chaos needed to summon Jedite or the Sailor Scouts would come regardless of who specifically, Molly or this man, was turned into a youma.

Now, it was just a matter of quality.

* * *

The plaza was positively packed with news crews, spectators, and hopefuls. Jedite didn't know what to expect, but he was still quite impressed.

"It's so hard to wrap my head around it." Saffron stood to his left. Both of the two of them were in disguise to avoid getting mobbed: Saffron wearing her hair wrapped in a bandana, and Jedite's disguise powers did his quite nicely: No one would expect Harvey Sigurd to have red hair.

"All these people are here for us, and we have to pick one. There's gonna be a lot of broken hearts in this audience." Jedite scanned the crowd.

"It can't be helped. One girl, that was how it was. Well, let's go check in with Director Aber...hey, I see a few girls from your housewarming party." Saffron pointed, and Jedite looked to see all of the Scouts assembled in a group .

"Figured they'd be in line. Don't worry, I know how to be fair in judging."

"We don't judge till improvisation anyway." Saffron returned. Jedite continued to scan the crowd, and he saw lots of people he knew. The role was planned for a female, although that wasn't set it stone, and aside from the Scouts, Jedite saw Serena's teacher, Molly Baker, Andrew's kid sister Lizzie, and tons of people he'd never met.

This was going to be one interesting day, Jedite thought as he went backstage to hide himself and remove his disguise.

"I wish to welcome all of you, and thank you for coming out today." A slightly overweight man in a baseball cap stood on a podium to address the crowd. Zoicite didn't really care what he had to say. The energy of this crowd was incredible: According to the information he gleaned, it was a casting call for an acting job. These humans, wasting all of their energy on such foolishness.

The man with the powerful dark energy was here, but pinpointing him was going to be difficult thanks to the large source of energy here. Zoicite still needed to be inconspicious, lest he be discovered before his plan went to fruition. It did no good for Zoicite to have no youma to back him up when Jedite made his appearance.

"Those of you who are trying out, we thank you for your interest in our show. I'm sure you're all eager to get started, and, once we go over a few necessary remarks, we'll be sure to get underway. Our first event is going to be a quick session with the directors and me, we'll announce the winners after that. The second scene is going to be acting with your fellow contestants, and the third is no script, by yourself. Anything you want, so be sure to wow us. After that, we'll be down to five finalists, who will work with both Saffron and Harvey. Best of luck, everyone, and break a leg!"

* * *

Zoicite laughed as he watched the show. How silly this was. Truly, this world deserved to be destroyed by Queen Metallia if this was the high point of their lives, drawing their energy to such peaks.

"Hello everyone!" A familiar voice began to speak out, and the females in the crowd became to scream with delight. Zoicite watched as the man she was looking for walked onto the stage. Screams from the crowd were mostly incomprehensible, but they seemed to be screaming "Harvey" over and over again. So Molly's friend was Harvey.

"_Let's make you something more suitable." _Zoicite leveled the Black Crystal at him and fired.


	90. The Final Cut

There was no way Zoicite could miss at this range. Harvey Sigurd was walking around a little as he spoke, but he was a slow-moving, stationary target. He may have well been blindfolded and tied up.

The shot was discrete, and invisible to a normal human. It struck the actor dead in the chest.

"_Won't be long now." _Zoicite thought. Any minute he'd turn into a youma. A youma against all these ordinary humans, with Sigurd's dark energy, it would be a nothing. Sure to fish out the Sailor Scouts and that foul traitor Jedite.

Harvey paused, pursed his lips, wrinkled his brow for a moment. Zoicite wasn't sure how exactly the man would react: He'd never turned a human into a youma without taking a Rainbow Crystal: It couldn't be the same.

"So anyway." He continued talking. "When your number is called, come up to the panel. Say your name, and something about yourself. Now, there's a big crowd here. Be memorable, be fantastic. You've got five seconds, excite us! You can do it, everyone! Good luck!" Harvey waved, and was greeted with fanfares of applause and cheers as he stepped down from the stage.

Nothing was happening. That couldn't be possible. How could the Black Crystal fail?

Zoicite would have to try again. Perhaps it would take some time, perhaps his darker energy was harder to penetrate. What mattered was the results, after all.

* * *

Amy had opted not to participate in the contest for the show: She simply didn't have the time with all her extracurricular classes and studies to be on TV, exciting though it sounded.

But she could cheer the other girls on, wish them support.

"Amy!" There were a lot of voices around, but she heard a ragged voice call her name quickly. Amy looked around to see Jedite, in one of his many disguises, calling to her. He had a lot to do today with this whole contest; that he'd come to her could only mean one thing: There was a Sailor problem.

She got up from her seat and followed Jedite to a hidden place.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"There's a very dark presence here. I think Zoicite's about to move." Jedite stated.

"Here?" Amy looked around. She couldn't see Zoicite anywhere, not that it would be easy to spot him, there had to be hundreds of people gathered today.

"There's something else." Jedite stated. "When I was up there, warming up the crowd, there was this strange flash of light. It had such a dark energy, I nearly lost my composure."

"Was it an attack?" Amy asked.

"I don't know, I feel fine. If it was an attack, it didn't do anything. I practiced telekinesis when I had a quick moment, and everything seems in order." Jedite replied. He looked perfectly healthy, not that Jedite had ever been ill during his time with the Scouts. He said once that he could not catch human diseases.

"Keep your eyes and senses open." Amy instructed.

'No need to tell me. Let the girls know when you get a chance, I'm technically not allowed to meet with the contestants, they consider it an unfair advantage, even though I'm not a judge.

"All right, but let me know if you find anything."

* * *

The girls all made it past the first round, but the improvisation really screwed Serena up. She had never heard the word, before today. Only too late did she realize it meant with no script at all.

She was grouped with three others, no one she knew. A girl her own age, a middle-aged woman, and a man of about thirty wearing glasses.

"Mother!" The man called to the middle-aged woman. "Your prodigal son returns home."

"What does prodigal mean?" Serena asked seriously.

"My dear little granddaughter, what your daddy means is that he's a wayward rogue who only shows up when he needs money." The middle-aged woman returned.

"Yeah, sis." The other girl responded.

"You're mean!" Serena returned and wailed.

"Now look what you've done, Meg. You know your sister's a crybaby."

"But Daddy, it's fun!"

"Not a word, young lady." The man replied sternly, getting in the girl's face.

"Why don't we tell Granny why we're really here?"

"Don't you call me granny, missy. I'm too young for that."

"You said that to your last husband and he left you. Wonder what Dad would have said if he had the chance."

"You think you can fill your father's shoes?" The old woman returned.

"And cut!" Jedite, who was judging this part of the contest with Saffron and the director, called out. "Thank you. Remember your numbers, we'll call them at the end." And Serena paused. She said one thing. One.

"Next group!" Jedite called unsympathetically, waving the rest off the stage. And Serena whimpered, for she knew she blew it. No one had to tell her anything.

* * *

"I want to thank all of you for coming out today and participating." Saffron started to talk to the crowd.

"I'm very sorry that we could only choose five finalists." Saffron continued. "To the rest of you, we wish you the best of luck, and don't let anything get you down. You're all special and wonderful, and you'll succeed at your dreams if you just keep at it."

"And now, please join me in welcoming our five finalists. You've all introduced yourselves before, but please, when I call your number, come up to the stage, say your name, what you do for a living, and a fun, exciting fact about yourselves." Jedite took over. He was normally a pretty stoic guy, but one thing he learned of acting was the more energy that was put into it, the better the final product."

"In no particular order. First number, ninety-one!" Saffron called, and an excited cheer brought an adult man with glasses up to the stage. If Jedite remembered, he was the guy with Serena. Poor girl, she just panicked and couldn't function. She made a better Sailor Scout anyway.

"My name's Jason Everett, I'm thirty-one, I'm a salaryman, and I'm the undisputed king of the karaoke bar!" The man shouted into a microphone.

"You should see Harvey after his third round." Saffron snarked.

"You told me you made that up." Jedite blushed. "Next number, two-thirty-eight!"

"All right!" A voice Jedite knew came up to the stage. He knew he made the right choice picking this choice.

"My name's Molly Baker, I'm a junior high student, originally from Osaka. I'm so excited I barely know what to say."

"We get like that sometimes." Jedite laughed. Molly handled herself very well in the acting portion of the challenge. She was pretty good at keeping her tone level and believable. All that time around Nephrite must have rubbed off.

"Next number is one-hundred and eighteen." This victor was another man, this one was a man wearing a cowboy hat and boots, straight out of a Western movie. He took this seriously, perhaps too seriously. Jedite didn't necessarily agree with it.

"Richard Grayson, call me Dick. And if you want a tap-dance in this boots, just ask."

"I'll hold you to that." Saffron giggled.

"One-ninety-nine!" Saffron called the next number. They were supposed to rotate, but Saffron was really good at interacting with people.

"That's me, t hat's me!" Jedite recognized that voice, although she wouldn't recognize him. Serena's teacher, Patricia Haruna, strode up confidently to the stage.

"Patricia Haruna!" She smiled to the crowd. "And as for my age, shame on you." She chuckled and wiggled seductively. The men cheered. No one would have expected that woman was in her forties.

"Age disclosure is perfect blackmail, careful." Jedite laughed. "The last number was sixty-two, and this one was a schoolgirl, with beautiful long blonde hair with a hair ribbon. Jedite knew this girl was something special when she started her acting. Ditzy to the extreme, but she had this magical way of smiling goofily, and it soothed any mistake. And she took herself seriously, even if the things that came out of her mouth usually weren't.

"My name's Mina Aino! I go to Shiba Koen Junior High School, and being an idol has been my dream since I could walk! Thank you everyone, I love you!"


	91. The Darkness Strikes

"All right, finalists, here's how it works. We can't actually give you the real scene were writing because we haven't cast one of you yet." Saffron laughed as she addressed the finalists.

"So the way it works is this. Each one of you will be given a script, of fairly generic, boring lines for a generic character. Your job, without changing a single word, is to make the audience love you." Saffron continued to explain the rules, and Jedite sat back and let her do it.

"You'll be working with Harvey and me." Saffron explained. "And you need to shine between the two of us. And with Harvey around, that's a feat in and of itself."

"You praise me too highly." Jedite replied. "All right. Best of luck to all five of you. We'll give you half an hour to read and think about the lines while we get ready. Remember, out of everyone here, we picked you five. Don't disappoint us."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Harvey." Ms. Haruna said eagerly.

"Like they say, the world steps aside for the one who knows what to say!" The fifth contestant, Mina, said quite cheerfully.

"I believe that's 'the world steps aside for the one who knows where is going." The salaryman, Jason, gently corrected her.

"Oops!" Mina giggled.

"_I'm not even human and I knew that one." _Jedite thought. This girl was potentially even ditzier than Serena on a bad day, it might be dangerous to have her around the set. But she knew how to get into character, there was no way around that.

"All right, everyone, the time starts now!" Saffron smiled at the contestants, who began to read their scripts. Jedite knew the words, and Saffron wasn't lying, they were basic answers to questions to both his character Derek, and Saffron's character Elle. While the scriptwriting staff was significantly better than what was written on the pages, it was supposed to be about personality: Every character on _Precinct 52 _needed to shine, even among the stars. That was the key to its success.

The five actors broke to read the script, and Jedite departed quickly from the stage. He needed to find the scouts. The dark presence that was nearby did not fade, and Zoicite would surely be still around.

He wouldn't attempt another futile attack, but Zoicite was still here. He had to have something else planned.

* * *

Zoicite had attempted another attack on Harvey Sigurd when his back was turned on the stage, but it had the exact same effect as the first one: Nothing. How could the Black Crystal do nothing? He was no ordinary human, of that Zoicite was certain. Was it the dark energy he possesed? He could think of no other alternatives.

The man had left the stage when the finalists were announced, and Zoicite could not locate him in the crowd, there was far too much energy around to pick out his accurately.

He wondered if he should go back to his first plan of using Molly. She was a finalist, so he'd be close by when she was on stage doing the acting thing. And Harvey would be there too. He could be the first victim. When he was unconscious, Zoicite would gather his energy: Certainly a nice little perk in addition to the Rainbow Crystals Jedite would surely part with. Living among the humans would make him weak: He had to be discrete, which would cause his powers to atrophy. His battles were quick bursts, nothing long and drawn out. That was where Zoicite would strike.

"All right, the contest is starting, everyone, and thank you very much for waiting. We've chosen randomly who the first finalist is going to be, so please welcome, Patricia Haruna!" Zoicite watched in boredom as a redheaded woman came up to the stage.

"Thank you." Patricia bowed her head to the group.

"All right, best we just get started." Harvey cleared his throat.

"Pat Christensen, where were you yesterday at 9 PM?" Harvey delivered a well-acted line. In that one line, Zoicite could tell that Harvey Sigurd was an experienced actor, used to playing bluffs. She'd seen it all the time in Nephrite, who lacked the gumption to simply take what he wanted from the human world.

"Well, Detective. I was here, home. Alone." Patricia Haruna returned. She had a slightly flirty look about her when she looked at the Detective, cocking her head, and raising her hand toward his cheek. Harvey, though, did not seem interested.

"Alone, you say? Alone when your neighbor was murdered?"

"D-Detective. I...I would never." Patricia stammered, and Zoicite was bored. If he cared about this contest, he would know that this woman would not be the winner.

"Yes, I would think you'd have a very good reason not to, being your landlord, but there's also a very good reason for you to get rid of him, isn't there." Harvey stepped in close.

"I heard that you two fought about his dog." The girl on the other side, Saffron, spoke up next. In contrast to the more serious Harvey, she was bright and positive. Her energy was exactly normal. The Black Crystal would work on her no problem.

Zoicite dismissed that idea, it paid to be patient on occasion. Both Saffron and Patricia, the women on stage, had average energy. The youma they turned into would be fine for creating terror among the audience, but Zoicite's goal wasn't terror, it was to force Jedite to hand over his crystals. Average youma could be subdued by him.

"But I love dogs. Even if they bark at 2 in the morning and dig up my tulips."

"Tulips?" Saffron asked.

"Must really eat them up, I just saw a patch of dirt." Harvey shrugged.

"I'm about to put some cuttings in, they were sent over by my sister."

"Cuttings? I like to garden myself, I didn't know you could do it with tulips."

"Sure, any plant can do it. My garden out there gets the sun all the time, so it's perfect, I can just let it go. Excuse me, I need to go get the coffee." Patricia bowed, and exited to the left.

"This is really the time to talk about plants?" Harvey asked.

"She's lying. Most cuttings require partial shade and lots of attention." Saffron replied.

"Why is it when we go on cases, you know fantastic details like that?"

"You do it too, Derek." Saffron continued to act. "You noticed the lack of ashtrays in the victim's houses, despite the smell of cigarette smoke. I just know a few different things."

"Do either of you take cream or sugar?" Patricia asked as she walked back.

"All right, cut! Thank you very much!" Harvey replied. "Give it up for Ms. Patricia Haruna, everyone." The audience applauded, but Zoicite didn't care.

"Next up, is going to be Mr. Richard Grayson. Give a big round of applause!" Saffron introduced the next case. "Followed by Molly Baker, Mina Aino, and Jason Everett."

"_So Molly is third." _Zoicite thought as a man in an obnoxiously large hat came up to the stage, shaking hands with the two actors.

He pulled out the Black Crystal. Perhaps one more test on Harvey Sigurd was in order. He was right there, and if it didn't work, there was an alternative coming up shortly. It wouldn't hurt to test.

He leveled it and fired, straight at the man's face. Just before he began going into the same lines with that Patricia woman.

The beam traveled in a straight line towards Harvey, who didn't even seem to notice it, continued to sway and talk, but his feet were rooted.

The beam reached Harvey just as the man Richard Grayson was giving his first line. The same line as Patricia, but he acted in a more aggressive tone, stepping forward in a confrontational way.

Stepping right into the line of fire.


	92. Traps and Circumstance

The line that Richard was supposed to give was the same as the line Patricia gave, and Molly, Mina and Jason would give after him. The line that he was alone at the time of the murder. While Patricia's delivery was somewhat flirty and helpless-sounding, Richard opted for a more confrontational approach. That wasn't a bad thing. But just as he was about to give the line, he paused. As if he had stage fright. That was not a good sign, this was just practice.

Jedite was about to say something, but before he did, Richard looked at him with a strong glare. Was he psyching himself up for that? That seemed unnecessary.

"Yes, Detective." The man gave the wrong line. "Slaughtered him like cattle. And now, it's time for you!" And before Jedite could react, Richard grabbed Jedite by the neck. Richard's grip was deathly strong, and it started to cut off Jedite's air supply.

No human could do such a thing to Jedite, even if he was surprised. But Jedite didn't have time to think about that now, that monster's grip was tight, and Jedite was finding it difficult to breathe.

In a flash, the monster threw Jedite to the other end of the stage. He crashed into the backdrops.

"Oh no!" Saffron screamed. The crowd was in an uproar over what happened. Jedite could hear people screaming, a loud murmur of voices.

"Now it's time for a little audience participation! A little hog-tying looks good for this scene." Jedite got to his feet and could finally see what had happened. Richard was facing the audience, and Jedite could only watch in surprise as he snapped his fingers, and a long rope and lasso materialized into his grasp. No human could do such things, now Jedite was certain this was where Zoicite made his move. How did he do this thing to Richard, and why pick Richard in the first place?

He could marvel it later. For now, he needed to find a place where he could safely remove his disguise and turn from Harvey Sigurd into Jedite. It would not do to have a famous actor using magical powers in plain sight.

Richard threw his rope into the crowd. Every person it touched, even briefly, fell to the ground as if pressed under a large weight.

"We...what's going on? Are you all right?" Saffron, with the other finalists, who weren't in the audience.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." Jedite returned. "You get out of here, now."

"Without you?" Saffron asked. "What should we do?"

"I can handle myself. If I can knock him down..."

"That...that monster threw you across the stage. It's too dangerous!" Jason, who seemed very panicky, was quick to cut his losses, not that Jedite blamed him. Normal humans should be scared of a youma like that.

"You guys should leave now. One person can avoid that monster easily. I'm going to see if I can help get some of the audience to safety."

"But..." Saffron protested.

"I'll be fine. This is just like that time with my first audition. I handled myself there pretty cool too, didn't I." Jedite smiled.

"Be careful, and run when it gets dicey." Saffron relented. "Hey, where did Mina go?" Jedite looked around, but the blonde with the hair ribbon seemed to disappear in the chaos. She must have escaped on her own.

"Well, it looks like you don't want to have fun in my little round-up." Richard, if the youma could even be called that anymore, turned to face the group huddled backstage. Richard's skin tone was now a slate-grey, his eyes shone a dull yellow.

"Let's get you nice and tied up." Another lasso appeared in Richard's hands, and he span it around before launching it at the group.

"Break!" Jedite called as he dove away from it to the right. Who knew for certain whether it would have the same effect on him that it did on the audience. Jedite continued running until he reached the end of the stage, and jumped down to the ground. There had to be a place to transform around here.

* * *

When the finals had started, Serena excused herself to get some ice cream while Ms. Haruna was on-stage. Serena saw enough of her in class, she didn't need to see her now, in her free time. She was just about to enjoy her frozen treat and she heard the sounds of screams, and people running away from the stage.

"_Is her acting that bad? Why couldn't I have won." _Serena moped to herself. But the second she saw more people running away, she started getting a really bad feeling about this. She made her way to the stage, and took a quick peek while being mostly hidden by the bleachers.

There was a youma on the stage! With gray skin and yellow eyes, it was no prop for the detective show. Zoicite was here!

The other Sailor Scouts were in the audience when Serena left them last. Were they still there, could they find a place to transform?

Until then, though, Serena had to do this herself. She ducked underneath the bleachers.

"Moon Prism Power!" She transformed once she was sure it was clear.

"Time to take action!" Sailor Moon gripped her Crescent Moon Wand tightly and headed into the fray.

"How dare you ruin this wonderful day, I will not stand for it. I am Sailor Moon, champion of justice, and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

"Look at that, a so-called hero. Ten paces and fire, little girl." The youma remarked.

"This isn't some Western movie." She pulled out the Crescent Moon Wand. Just use it and be done with it. She wasn't sure where the other scouts were, and had to assume she was on her own until they got there.

And then, Sailor Moon heard a familiar laughter she wished she'd never hear again. Right next to the youma, in a flash of pink petals, was Zoicite, with that same smug grin on his face that he always had.

"You slime! You ruined this wonderful day." Sailor Moon accused.

"Somehow, I think I'll manage. I set a trap for Jedite and I get you instead. Well, It'll do, I suppose. Since I'm feeling generous, I'll be blunt. I want all three crystals Jedite took from me, and don't you try to pull any bluffs, I know you've taken in the exile and stain upon our great name."

"Great name? Jedite outwitted you more times than I can count." Sailor Moon returned.

"Someone call my name?" Jedite's familiar voice sounded behind her, and Serena turned to see Jedite, dressed in his Shitennou uniform and blonde hair, stepping out for a fight.

"So, the traitor shows his ugly face to me without a single shred of shame?"

"Zoicite, it seems you've gotten even less subtle since last I saw you. And you've put on weight." Jedite freely taunted his former comrade, Zoicite growled in anger.

"Well, you're both here, so I only need to repeat myself once. Jedite, hand over the crystal you stole from Beryl and the two others you've claimed before my youma sucks the life from all the little creatures he's caught."

"You think I can't destroy a youma? Between myself and Sailor Moon we could beat a creature like that easily."

"Yeah! So hand over your crystal if you don't want me to moon dust you!" Sailor Moon commanded in her bravest voice. Zoicite only laughed.

"Maybe you could. But not before my youma starts eliminating everyone here. How many lives could be lost before you succeed, I wonder. All I have to do is deflect and run out the clock, after all. You so-called heroes, can't handle the blood of innocents. Do I kill just one? Two? A dozen? What's the justification? Or you can hand over the crystals. The choice is yours." Zoicite giggled, and now Serena understood the meaning of the word trap.

* * *

After Jed disappeared, Molly started to escape with Saffron and the other finalists. That other schoolgirl, Mina Aino, had disappeared already, but there was still Ms. Haruna and the salaryman along with Saffron.

Molly fully intended to escape until she heard the giggle. The laughter, effeminate laughter, and she knew to whom it belonged to. It was a sound that haunted her nightmares.

Zoicite, the man who killed Nephrite, the one after Sailor Moon, and Jed, that worked for the evil queen and wanted to destroy everything. He was back again, causing pain and strife.

Molly crept a little closer, trying to stay hidden. Jed had told her not to get involved, and Molly promised him she wouldn't charge headlong into danger. But there were still things she could do to stop this horrible man, and all of his plans. The monster that was the cowboy actor was on the stage, and Molly could see many people writhing on the ground, slowly being covered head to toe in ropes as if they were being wrapped in cocoons. They could suffocate if left like that. Could she help them?

There were far too many people for Molly to just rip the ropes off of them, and that Zoicite had crazy powers, they probably wouldn't disappear by a crude display of force.

Zoicite said something to Sailor Moon and Jed, who were watching from the other side of the audience. If she could get a distraction somehow, maybe Sailor Moon could use her power on the monster, and Jed could get rid of Zoicite.

"_But what?" _Molly thought. She looked towards Zoicite again, and looked as the evil man pulled something from his sleeve.

It was Nephrite's crystal, the black thing that glowed bright blue around her. He used that thing for evil, and he should never be allowed to touch Nephrite's things.

That was the distraction. Molly didn't care how dangerous it was to herself anymore. This time, she would not sit scared. This time, she would not run.


	93. Sailor Venus, from stage left

"I'm waiting." Zoicite stretched out his hand impatiently towards both Jedite and Sailor Moon. Humans were always so weak when it came to watching others suffer, and Sailor Moon was a human. Jedite may not have been human, but he had spent time among the weaklings. Grew attached. Zoicite could sense it in his energy, his fury at Zoicite and what he had done.

Jedite grimaced, his mouth pursed into a knifelike slash.

"Let's get this over with. I know between the two of you, there are three crystals: red, blue and indigo. Either hand them all over or I start killing." Zoicite delivered.

"You've gotten even cruder since last we met." Jedite cursed.

"Are you really going to waste time insulting me?" Zoicite marveled at how the situation was all in his advantage. There was nothing either of the two of them could do.

"What did you do?" Jedite asked.

"Oh, nothing." Zoicite giggled. "I just saw the little stage show those actors were doing, and thought I'd spice it up a little. Isn't this a wonderful spectacle? And it was all thanks to the Black Crystal." Zoicite pulled it from his sleeve and admired it for a moment.

"Even Nephrite has his moments. Can't say the same for you." Zoicite insulted, and Jedite laughed.

"So sneaking into the base to steal a crystal, thwarting you twice, in a row. That's nothing to brag about? Not for you, maybe." Jedite smiled wryly. Zoicite growled. She'd wipe that smug grin off of his face soon enough.

"I suggest you hand it back quickly. Beryl will not so kind in her returns."

"Funny, I don't see Beryl coming here to do it herself." Jedite continued to speak. What was his angle, what was he up to? Surely he could remember he was the least of the Shitennou, and least meant weakest. He would gain nothing by goading him.

"You evil monster!" A loud shriek drew Zoicite's attention from Jedite, and he barely had time to react before a human girl began to grapple him, grabbing at his wrists, trying to knock him down.

Zoicite looked up at the face, and saw it was that stupid human girl Molly, her face contorted in a grimace of fury.

"You little brat!" Zoicite had enough with that little girl. He tried to struggle his way out of Molly's grip, but even with his superior strength, that girl was battling furiously, it was quite difficult to move his hands.

"I'm not going to let you hurt any more people!" Molly screamed.

"Stubborn brat!" Zoicite got his right hand free and delivered a swift backhand across Molly's face. She toppled to the ground.

"Molly!" Jedite called out.

"I have had just enough out of you!" Zoicite could put Jedite and Sailor Moon on hold for a minute. This little interloper had bothered him long enough.

"Zoi!" He was about to send his petal attack straight into Molly's flesh. A frail girl like her would never be able to handle the assault.

But as soon as Zoicite raised his hand, a thin yellow beam of light stretched across Zoicite's hands. Once it connected, there was an incredible pain that blistered through his hand.

"Arg!" Zoicite stumbled, and nearly lost his balance.

"Right where I want you!" Zoicite heard Jedite say before letting lose a wave of energy, colliding straight into Zoicite's face, knocking him away from Molly.

And just like that, the advantage was no longer his.

* * *

Jedite was going to waste no time in seizing this advantage. But it was the youma, not Zoicite, which deserved his attention.

"Now, Sailor Moon!" He called.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" She unleashed her Crescent Moon Wand at the youma, but nothing to seemed to happen.

"Let's up the caliber on this one!" The youma dropped his rope, and materialized in each of his hands a large gun-like object.

"That's not good!" Sailor Moon panicked. Jedite leapt into action, jumping into the sky, and launching two waves of energy at the creature, hoping to disarm it.

"Bad move, cowpoke!" The youma called as Jedite's energy attacks harmlessly dissipated into his guns, and then the youma opened fire. Jedite attempted to block the youma's attack, but the blast was strong, and Jedite fell to the ground.

"Jedite!" Sailor Moon came over to him to help him to his feet.

"First rule of the Wild West, never become a human shield." The youma raised his guns towards Sailor Moon.

"Move!" Jedite called, but he never got the chance to say it before the youma seemed to stumble. His guns did not fire. Just like with Zoicite.

"Who's interrupting this duel!" The youma looked around. Jedite looked around as well. That was twice, flukes did not happen twice, and definitely not the same thing in such rapid succession.

"I am!" Another loud female voice, although this one was not Molly, boomed out from overhead. Jedite looked towards the stage. Standing on the top scaffolding was someone Jedite had never seen before. Female, long blonde hair, red ribbon in her hair, a mask covering her eyes, a yellow-accented sailor fuku.

She leapt down effortlessly.

"A marvelous day ruined by your wicked ways, dreams crushed, hopes dashed. Foul creature, you've done far too much, and I won't stand for it. I'm Sailor Venus, and you're not getting a callback." The blonde stranger replied. Another Sailor Scout? Where did this one come from? If what Luna had said was right, she gave the new scouts transformation pens, and she was nowhere in sight.

"Sailor V?" Sailor Moon remarked with surprise. He'd heard that name before, the character in the video game Serena liked. She was based on a real person? Jedite recalled wondering that before.

"Dishonorable to interrupt a duel, little miss. But I'm a good sport, and I'll finish you first." The youma leveled his guns towards her, and Sailor Venus drew herself back into a fighting position.

"No way!" Jedite unleashed his telekinesis on the youma's arms. It was always difficult to unleash telekinesis on a living target, but Jedite bit his lip and put all of his energy into it. And it was paying off, the youma was moving his arms unsteadily, as if he had weights attached.

Sailor Venus needed no more instruction.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" She shouted, unleashing the same yellow wave of energy straight at the youma. Jedite's telekinesis prevented it from blocking, and the creature took the brunt of the blow.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" A familiar voice sounded from off to the side, and Jedite smiled to see that the rest of the artillery had arrived. Whether they had gotten stuck by the monster or the crowd Jedite couldn't be certain, but they were here now. All three Sailor Scouts stood in flanking positions, surrounding the monster.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars quickly followed, and her fire blasts brought the monster to his knees.

"All right, now is the time!" Jedite called.

"Right! Moon Healing Escalation!" The youma was subject to Sailor Moon's waves again, but this time, it did not shrug them off. The waves washed over him, bright light erupted from his body, and when it faded, the youma was once again a simple wannabe actor.

"Now it's time for Zoicite." Eager to see the threat disappear, Jedite turned to face Zoicite. Everything had happened so quickly, Zoicite didn't have time to react to the return of the youma. He was sneering, growling like a beast.

"Time to finish this." Jedite stated. Zoicite levitated up into the sky.

"This isn't over!" He shouted angrily before disappearing. Just like always, when things went south. And he didn't escape with any crystals, either. This was a victory.

"Molly!" Sailor Moon ran over to her prone friend, and Jedite followed. Molly didn't look to be injured, and, at Sailor Moon's touch, her eyes fluttered open.

"Oh." She shook herself awake and stood up elegantly. "What happened?"

"Zoicite's gone." Jedite informed. "You were pretty brave. Reckless, but brave."

"Yeah, I think so too. But we did it, didn't we." Molly smiled. Jedite had to admit that was true: She broke the stalemate standoff and allowed the battle to progress.

"And, I got myself a little prize!" Molly's smile went brighter, as she reached into the folds of her dress, and, much to Jedite's surprise, she pulled out Nephrite's Black Crystal.

"You...wow!" How did Molly obtain that? Jedite didn't even see her pocket it.

"I tricked him." Molly answered the unspoken question. "I snatched the crystal and then fainted so he'd ignore me. I thought he'd be too focused on you." A risky gamble to be sure, but having that Black Crystal meant Zoicite could no longer use it. It was what he used to turn Richard into a youma.

"It's dangerous to have that, Molly." Jedite noted. "It may be a keepsake of Nephrite's, but Zoicite will try to get it back."

"I know." Molly replied. "So, you hold onto it, okay, Jed? And then, when Zoicite and that evil queen are gone, you can give it back to me." She held out the crystal to him, and Jedite carefully took it.

"Well, it won't come to harm with me." Jedite slipped the crystal away. Just as Zoicite had underestimated him, so to did Jedite underestimate Molly. She was no Sailor Scout, but she was driven by love and crafty as hell. No wonder Nephrite saw something special in her. She was so very much like Raye. Strong, capable, determined, clever Raye.

And Jedite found himself blushing, and tried to hide his face.

* * *

With Molly safe, Sailor Mars turned to face this new Sailor Scout. She had introduced herself as Sailor Venus. Another Sailor Scout? Bringing their team up to five Scouts and Jedite? If their combined might could thwart Zoicite that easily, this was going to be a huge chip in their pile.

"Sailor Venus?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Wow, I never would have imagined the days we'd finally meet." Sailor Venus smiled. "I'm thrilled to meet all of you." Groans interrupted the Scout's next speeches, as the crowd of people wrapped up in the youma's ropes were beginning to regain consciousness.

"Hm, this isn't the right place to have introductions, is it?" Sailor Venus wondered.

"No. Come to the Hikawa Shrine at 4 PM tomorrow." Sailor Mars asked. It might have been more secretive to meet at Jedite's apartment, but the temple was a more easily findable landmark.

"Sounds great. See you then!" And Sailor Venus disappeared from sight.

"I'd better get back into disguise too. They'll be wondering what happened to Harvey Sigurd." Jedite told the Scouts.

"I guess the contest ended up messing up, huh?" Sailor Mercury remarked.

"Yeah, I guess we'll have the finalists do something at the studio. At least with the Black Crystal in our possession now, Zoicite won't try something like that again." Jedite patted the crystal where he stored the crystal.

"Aww, maybe you could..." Sailor Moon started.

"No." Jedite and Sailor Mars both said at the same time, and Mars blushed a bit. They thought so quickly when it came to shushing Serena.

"Ha, ha! You and Jedite both look like you were pelted in the face with tomatoes." Sailor Jupiter remarked with a laugh.

Jedite was blushing too. Sailor Mars looked at him, and found his face to be of an odd ashen gray color.

"Hey, no cheating with your disguise powers, you're nervous and everyone knows it!" Jupiter continued. And Sailor Moon and Mercury joined her in laughing. And Mars couldn't help but laugh too.


	94. Two Sailor Moons

"So, that is what happened." Beryl kept her voice calm as Zoicite delivered his report. In truth, Beryl was far from calm, but at this point, losing her cool now could cost her immensely. Jedite had foiled Zoicite's attempt? And not only did Zoicite not obtain any of the Rainbow Crystals, but now he had lost the Black Crystal as well.

Beryl could not create a new one: Only Nephrite knew how to do that, and he was long dead. While the crystal could not track down the extracted Rainbow Crystals, it had a host of other powers Beryl could have used, powers she could use no longer due to Zoicite's arrogance losing the crystal to Jedite.

Jedite had grown in strength, it seemed. Time spent amongst the humans had honed his skills. Beryl was not quite certain how that could happen, but she could not argue with the results. The interference of this new Sailor Scout was minimal: Sailor Venus may have saved the day at Zoicite's last interference, but Jedite, under the guise of Jed, had run interference on Zoicite successfully, and Nephrite too, it seemed.

"I will defeat him! That traitor is..." Zoicite was eager for a chance to prove himself, even though he'd already proven himself a failure against him.

"No." Beryl returned firmly. "We have two targets we could be going after. Let us leave Jedite be for now and get the crystals from Tuxedo Mask first."

"Your Majesty?" Malachite, standing next to his protégé and lover, seemed confused.

"Is there some sort of problem?" Beryl asked.

"Well, it's just, how are we to find him? He only seems to show up when Sailor Moon is in danger. And when Sailor Moon is in danger, that usually ends up with Jedite showing up." Zoicite asked.

"I will go with Zoicite on this mission." Malachite bowed his head.

"Malachite? Truly? I'm honored." Zoicite's voice was quite elated.

"A fantastic idea." Beryl returned. "I want you two to work together on this mission, and I pray, Zoicite, that it will work better than the last time I asked you to cooperate with an ally." Beryl could still remember the formal affair where they attempted to steal the Imperium Silver Crystal, the one that ended up being fake.

"No problem of that, your Majesty. Malachite is both loyal and powerful." Zoicite bowed.

"Your goal is simple." Beryl spelled out her wishes to her subordinates. "You will find a way to lure out Tuxedo Mask: If Sailor Moon needs to be in danger, but alive, then do so. Find him, and obtain the Rainbow Crystals from him. And if Jedite interferes again..."

"He won't live through it." Malachite affirmed. Beryl could sense his anger, his fury. Jedite surviving was an insult, but the fact that he broke in here to steal the crystal from under Malachite's nose was something Malachite would consider unforgivable. Beryl might have laughed if the situation wasn't so dire. The least of her Shitennou outwitted the greatest. Beryl always encouraged such rivalries, it was the best way to motivate and obtain results.

Perhaps that was the problem with Nephrite: Malachite, the only other person who could rival his power, was kept on standby and kept order in Beryl's base, while Zoicite was sent out on other missions. Zoicite could never rival Nephrite in terms of power, so he acted subversively, ruining Nephrite.

But this was a true rivalry: Malachite determined not to let Jedite succeed. This should be most amusing.

* * *

Waiting for the arrival of Sailor Venus, Serena sat with the other Sailor Scouts and Luna at the Hikawa Shrine.

"That was pretty cool of Sailor Venus." Lita remarked. "She must be pretty capable if she was able to pull all of that off."

"I'll say." Raye agreed. "It'll be a welcome change of pace from Serena."

"Meanie!" Serena returned.

"Now, now." Amy mediated. "Where's Jedite anyway?"

"He has to meet with the directors about yesterday, talk about how they're going to choose a co-star from the finalists." Amy explained. "He said he'll be here as soon as he can spare some time."

"Teleporting does have it's uses." Raye remarked. As she said that, she heard a rustle from behind the temple, and out stepped Jedite, still dressed as Harvey Sigurd.

"I don't have a lot of time, it's lunch break and I'm famished." Jedite remarked. "Has Sailor Venus arrived yet?"

"No, not..." Raye started, but then there were footsteps coming up from the temple. Light footsteps. All present turned to look at the stairs, and from the steps stepped a girl. A blonde girl with a cute red hair ribbon, and a white cat riding on her shoulder.

She looked familiar, Serena was certain she had seen this girl before.

"Mina?" Jedite answered for her, and now Serena recalled. This was Mina Aino, the finalist from the contest yesterday. Did she live nearby, was she stopping to pray?

"Hello." She called out. "Harvey Sigurd!" She seemed to notice Jedite first. Unsurprisingly, most people looked to the celebrity in their midst first.

"Oh, what a coincidence seeing you again. It's too bad I didn't get to perform before everything happened." Mina replied sadly.

"It's not your fault. What brings you here?" Jedite asked.

"Well, I'm meeting some friends here, but it looks like they aren't around yet. Maybe I'm early." Mina shrugged.

"No." Luna spoke, and Serena's eyes nearly bugged out. Luna randomly talking out loud like this? It was so unlike her.

"Huh?" Mina looked confused for a moment. But the white cat on her shoulder elegantly jumped down to the ground, and walked over to Luna.

"Artemis!" Mina scolded the cat.

"Well, look at you, Luna." The cat, Artemis, spoke as clearly an elegant as Luna did. There was another cat like Luna?

"Well, you haven't changed." Luna remarked sheepishly. "I guess that means you're working with Sailor Venus."

"That's right." Artemis remarked. "And these are the rest?"

"Indeed." Luna returned.

"So you are the people I was looking for." Mina remarked. "Well, I'm Mina, or Sailor Venus. I guess we can't tell who we are in real life, after all."

"Sailor Venus." Serena puzzled. So this was the new Sailor Scout.

"It's a good thing we've met each other at last." Mina smiled. "It like they always say, teamwork divides the task and succeeds."

"Umm...Mina, I believe that's teamwork divides the tasks and doubles the success." Amy gently corrected.

"Oops!" Mina giggled. "And what about you, Mr. Sigurd? You work with us too?"

"Correct. Well, to make a long story short, my name is Jedite, I was the guy fighting with Sailor Moon." He introduced himself.

"Wow, hunky actor by day, superhero by night. You really do have the total package." Mina laughed and giggled.

"Speaking of which, I need to get back there. Good to see you, Mina." Jedite smiled and then faded from view in a flash of light.

"Does he always do that?" Mina asked.

"It's a really long story about him." Lita replied. "But he's on our side. Has been for a long time."

* * *

"Zoicite? What is your plan?" Malachite was only too eager to here what Zoicite was planning on doing to fulfill Beryl's mission and finding Tuxedo Mask. It was daunting at first glance: Tuxedo Mask was a purely reactive force that only showed up when Sailor Moon was in danger. Having Sailor Moon around when they struck at Tuxedo Mask created the risk of fighting multiple opponents, and that was always worse than a single one.

"It's simple, really." Zoicite smiled. "Sailor Moon only needs to be in danger, right?"

"It is not that simple, Zoicite." As much as Malachite didn't want to admit it, the Sailor Scouts were more than formidable, moreso with Jedite around, who could not only alert them to traps, but had become more powerful than the weakling who should have been dead.

"Hush now, Malachite." Zoicite laughed. "Who ever said I'm moving against Sailor Moon?"

Now Malachite was a little lost, but Zoicite used his own powers for a moment. All of the Shitennou could disguise themselves as humans, Malachite never saw much need for it, but both Jedite and Nephrite made extensive use of it. Zoicite, like Malachite, never really used the power himself, but he was using it now. His outfit changed, his hair changed style. And in a moment later, Malachite was looking at a perfect carbon copy of Sailor Moon.

And Malachite saw Zoicite's plan. If only the copy of Sailor Moon was in trouble, Jedite or the Sailor Scouts, who worked closely with the real one, wouldn't be alerted. But Tuxedo Mask, who seemed to just show up only when she was in crisis, would be summoned.

It was that brain of Zoicite's which truly made him a great Shitennou. Nephrite had his strength, and Jedite has his imagination, but Zoicite truly understood the meaning of cunning.


	95. A Hero Saves the Day

While Serena wanted to spend her day off from school getting to know the brand new Sailor Scout, Mina had already made plans this day before the whole Zoicite thing. So, Serena went with Lita to do some shopping and grab some crepes.

"So Mina actually made the finals? Do you think she'll become the guest star?" Lita asked.

"I don't know, Molly could take it. And then there was the other guy who went in the group with me, he wasn't too bad."

"More like he wiped the floor with you." Lita teased. "Hey, look, there's a big crowd of folks over there." Lita pointed towards an office building. Serena may have been far away, but she could tell what the crowd was looking at. About twenty or so stories up were two window washers. That could be the only reason Serena could think of why people would be on the outside of a building that high up. But they weren't washing windows, they were hanging on for dear life.

"Oh no!" Lita looked on in shock. From down here, there was really nothing Serena could do but watch as one of the ropes broke, and one of the men started to fall. But before he reached the ground, a flash of light seemed to move towards the man, and guided him gently into an awning.

"Thank goodness!" Serena smiled. She wasn't exactly sure what just happened, but that guy was safe. She looked towards the awning to take a look at her hero, just in time to watch the person stand up straight.

Serena nearly did a double-take as she looked at this person. The rescuer was a woman, wearing a sailor fuku, with blonde hair. But it wasn't Sailor Venus, this woman's hair was styled with two buns on each side.

"Don't worry, everyone. When danger strikes, I'll be there. I am Sailor Moon, who triumphs over evil and danger every time!" The woman stood tall and proud, and the crowd cheered.

Except Serena, she was too stunned to move.

"_Did...did she just call herself Sailor Moon? No way. No way." _Serena's mind denied. There was only one Sailor Moon in this world, and it was her.

"I'm!" Serena was about to shout her denial before Lita covered her mouth.

* * *

"So, that's what we'll do?" Jedite asked.

"Yeah, that old lady and the cowboy didn't do so well, so we'll bring the schoolgirls and the karaoke guy down to the studio this coming weekend." Director Abernathy replied. "Those three were the better choices anyway."

"Yeah." Jedite chuckled. Serena's teacher couldn't stop flirting and the cowboy was too aggressive, in the one line he had before he became a youma. They were too intimidated being up there with himself and Saffron.

"All right, so that's the plan. Interrogation scene filming in one hour, so grab a quick bite when you can."

"All right." Jedite stepped out of Director Abernathy's office and headed down the street for a quick bite of some takoyaki. Sitting on a bench, Jedite watched the people going about their day-to-day lives. He'd seen it so many times, but it still seemed so odd how calm they were, how the world was always one scheme away from total annihilation.

Just as he was about to finish his snack, he felt something. Cold, dark, sinister.

"_Familiar." _Zoicite had to be up to something close by, but Jedite could sense no youma with him. Neither could he sense Malachite. He was working by himself? Without the Black Crystal, he could not create another youma from a human. Did he have some other sort of plan.

"_I still have time. Why not go for a little reconnaissance?" _Jedite stood up, and walked, trying to follow Zoicite's energy. He was moving along the roofs for a while, not too far away, but soon he seemed to stop.

Jedite took a few shortcuts through some alleys, and ended up at a bank. The evil energy he could feel was in there.

"_A bank?" _Jedite thought. Aside from the evil energy, he could feel nothing special about it.

"_Looks like Zoicite finally lost his mind. Had to happen eventually." _Jedite casually walked inside as if he was a normal customer. No better way to get inside a bank.

Zoicite wasn't in the lobby, but he was close, Jedite could feel it. Was he in disguise? He didn't do such things often. Jedite looked around.

"May I help you sir?" A friendly clerk asked him. "Oh, you're Harvey Sigurd, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I'm just waiting for someone right now." Jedite casually declined the offer of help. When doing reconnaissance, the last thing he needed was some kind of loan with obnoxious interest.

The bank was busy with commerce. What was going through Zoicite's head to try something here?

"Nobody move!" A loud shout interrupted Jedite's thoughts and drew his attention to the front of the bank, where two men armed with shotguns and wearing masks shouted threateningly to the patrons.

"On the ground, everyone!" One of the men shouted. Jedite complied, for now. He wasn't carrying more than a few yen with him, it was nothing he wouldn't miss. But if one of them tried something, there were things Jedite could do to protect himself without revealing himself. Humans did have a chemical called adrenaline that made them do powerful things when pushed too far.

"All right, you, cashier or whatever you bank ladies are called, open the safe and put the money in the bag. And all you losers on the floor, put your wallets and purses in front of you." One of the bank robbers shouted.

While the bank robbers were busy with the bank teller, Jedite saw someone moving in the back. Were they trying to escape. Such moves were foolish, armed men with guns could be very jumpy.

"Hey, what was that!" One of the robbers, startled by the noise, turned and rose his shotgun towards the disturbance.

"Put down your weapon this instant." A female voice returned to the guard. Was it a bank teller? Jedite didn't have a good vantage point from where he was. Carefully, he crawled towards a couch, then peeked above it to get a vantage point.

The robber was still armed, pointing his gun towards a woman, who bravely stood before him.

And when his gaze looked to the woman to identify her closer, Jedite could scarcely believe it. Sailor Moon? How would she know this bank was being robbed now? And these men had guns, Sailor Moon didn't have a way to protect herself from guns.

"You must be nuts, girlie!" The robber shouted, pointing the gun at her. Sailor Moon did not flinch, but instead pulled out a boomerang.

"_You've got to be kidding. You've lost your mind." _Jedite thought. He'd have to help her now. The couch he was hiding behind, a comfortable place to sit while one discussed family loans, would make an excellent improvised weapon.

But before Jedite could pick it up, Sailor Moon eagerly threw the boomerang, then leapt into the air for a front kick. The robber was too surprised by the boomerang throw to react to the kick, and Sailor Moon ably knocked him to the ground.

"What the..." The second robber stammered out.

"Evildoers like you will never triumph, so long as I'm around!" Sailor Moon threw her boomerang again, and then rushed her opponent. Rushed with a phenomenal speed, and tackled the robber as quick as Jedite could blink.

"_Did I miss something?" _Jedite thought. Sailor Moon just saved the day, all on her own? Where were the other Scouts.

"Sailor Moon." Jedite went over to her.

"Never fear, citizens! I am here to save the day!" Sailor Moon did not address Jedite specifically, but after hearing the cheering of the citizens, ran out of the bank door, across the street, and out of sight.

"_Okay, either she's a fake, she's been watching too much of my show, or I've completely lost my mind. I sure hope it's the second one." _


	96. Trapped

"So that's what happened at the bank." Jedite had wasted no time informing the scouts of what had happened. It took Amy no time to deduce that they needed to find this Sailor Moon. Thanks to Jedite's energy detection, they found her in a warehouse district.

"There's no way it could be Serena." Lita shrugged.

"I know, I was nowhere near the bank that day." Serena answered.

"No, I mean she sounds very athletic. There's no way it could be her." Lita chuckled.

"Hey!" Serena remarked.

"And brave too. She seems like a real go-getter." Jedite quickly joined in on the teasing. "Not like our Sailor Moon."

"Do you always rib on her like that?" Mina, the newest member, asked.

"Yeah, we bust each other all the time." Lita remarked. "She's proved herself in battle plenty of times. You can ask Jedite all about that."

"But her energy was so weird, it was...it was darker. It seems like it's some kind of trap." Jedite shrugged.

"You figured that out pretty quickly." Mina praised.

"Thanks, although it's really not needed. Zoicite never was the master of subtlety."

"But is he looking for you, or us?" Amy asked. "The incident with the window washers and the robbed bank seem so random. We'd surely know there weren't two Sailor Moons." Like always, Amy quickly found the error in a plan.

"And there's no way he could think I'd fall for it, I could sense his energy, and he'd know that." Jedite returned.

"Is he that bad at making plans?"

"Well, he's not exactly the brightest bulb in the box, but he's not that stupid. He's up to something, I just don't know what it is. Maybe he made a stupid plan on purpose to make us not realize what he's really planning." It was the best Jedite could come with.

"What do you think, Amy?" Jedite may have known Zoicite better, but Amy was the strategist.

"If it's not a trap for us, and not a trap for you, it can only be a trap for Tuxedo Mask." Amy, after some thought, delivered.

"I haven't seen him since the time we got the crystals." Lita remarked. "We should probably transform."

"Jedite, I want you to stay back and out of sight." Amy faced Jedite and delivered.

"Really, why?" Jedite asked.

"If it's a trap for Tuxedo Mask, Zoicite might try all number of tricks we haven't seen before, since he was never going after him, it was always the crystals. We shouldn't all be in one place waiting for an ambush."

"Yeah, smart thinking." Raye remarked. "They'll be expecting all of us scouts in one place, but not you, Jedite."

"Okay. It makes sense. I'll stay hidden. There are humans around who have traces of dark energy, if I stay quiet and don't interfere, they probably won't pursue me."

"But just in case." Serena reached into her shirt, and pulled out the three Rainbow Crystals. She handed them to Jedite.

"That way, if we're ambushed, they won't fall out or something." Jedite nodded; Serena was getting better at being a Sailor Scout, becoming a bit more tactical. Was it Amy's influence, or the tough love she had been getting to be a leader from Raye, Luna, and himself. Maybe both.

Jedite tucked the crystals into separate pockets: One in each pants pocket and one in his jacket. He then ducked into an empty warehouse, leaving the Scouts to themselves while they transformed.

Now, all he could do was wait, and watch.

* * *

From his vantage point, Malachite could feel energy from people coming closer. Powerful energy.

"_Interesting." _He thought. Zoicite was in position, being hung suspended above the ground on a crane, pretending to be unconscious. All Malachite needed to do was a show that made the illusion of Sailor Moon being in danger, and Tuxedo Mask would come.

But before that, there were others coming. Too many people to be just Tuxedo Mask, and Sailor Moon wasn't even in danger yet. The other Sailor Scouts? Jedite?

It seemed to be more than one person, and, sure enough, Jedite saw a group of girls. The Sailor Scouts, all five of them, even that new one, Sailor Venus. Perfect. His ambush may not have drawn Tuxedo Mask yet, but Sailor Moon was said to have the other crystals. Beryl would certainly not mind if those were the crystals reclaimed instead.

"Welcome." Malachite made his presence known to the girls down below.

"You...you're Malachite!" Sailor Mars, the dark-haired one, called out to him.

"You remember?" Malachite thought it was pretty funny. He had only seen these meddlesome Sailor Scouts once before, when he had attached Jedite and blew up the airport. After all this time, she remembered?

"It seems I meet you again, Sailor Scouts. Some of you I recall, and some of you I don't. But it shall no longer matter, for this is the last day you'll see!" And Malachite stretched out his hands. He'd show them real power. Jedite's parlor tricks and Nephrite's astrological nonsense had nothing on his power.

And Malachite drew in all of his power to encase the Scouts in a dome of dark energy. This was a trick Malachite usually had no reason to use. It was a cage, of sorts. Unless it was brought down, not a single creature inside of it could escape. And it could be compressed or expanded as needed. Touching the sides of the dome would bring great pain. Aside from punishing disobedient youma, it wasn't exactly something Malachite used often. It was too clumsy for a trap; teleporting rendered it useless.

But these girls could not teleport. And that made them victims. He could hear the screams of the Sailor Scouts as he encased them. How did Jedite and Nephrite ever struggle with them? But, since the former was a traitor and the latter was dead, what did it matter?

* * *

He could feel it. Tuxedo Mask could feel that Sailor Moon was in danger. Of course, whenever he transformed from Darien Shields into the caped crusader, Sailor Moon was in danger or just about to be. For the longest time, he wasn't even able to remember it, and even now, he couldn't control it very well.

But he supposed that, if Sailor Moon was in trouble, it could only mean the Negaverse, and Zoicite, were at it again.

The Rainbow Crystals were locked in Darien's safe, as good a place as any to store them for now. He didn't need to have the crystals with him; they could get lost. All he needed was his rose and cane, and he had them both.

He could feel Sailor Moon was in danger, in the warehouse district, and Darien moved his way towards it. He darted between building and building, feeling a dark energy looming closer. Darien was drawn to it, but tried to make himself conspicuous. It would not do to be interrupted.

From what he could see, there was a silver-haired man standing over a dome of black energy, and Sailor Moon was hanging from a crane.

What was going on? Was he preparing something, or was he dealing with the Sailor Scouts now and saving Sailor Moon for later.

He wasn't sure, but getting Sailor Moon away was the priority. He quickly leapt from the ground to her position, and quickly severed the rope, landing elegantly with Sailor Moon in his arms. The silver-haired man must not have noticed, for he continued to look at the dome. Quickly, Tuxedo Mask sprinted off into a darkened warehouse with Sailor Moon still lying unconscious in his arms. Gingerly, he put her down once he was out of danger.

"Are you all right?" Tuxedo Mask asked. Sailor Moon didn't respond.

"Where are you other Sailor Scouts? Are the Rainbow Crystals all right?" He continued to ask, but she did not answer. Was she still unconscious? He leaned in close to check her pulse. Just as he did so, her eyes opened. She registered him only slightly before they took on an evil tinge.

And a horrible pain surfaced in his back.


	97. Blocking and Interference

It didn't take long for Jedite to leave the Scouts before he became worried. There was tremendous energy nearby, a tremendous dark energy. Only Malachite could amass such an energy himself. He had to be here, and that meant trouble. The Sailor Scouts had proven themselves admirably against Zoicite, and even Nephrite could not go toe to toe with them, but compared to Malachite, even the rest of the Shitennou were like children with toys.

Daring to peek out, Jedite moved quietly between cover. The energy signature was not far away, but it was intense, and it would not do to be careless, considering he had three of the Rainbow Crystals on his person.

Dropping low, and moving carefully, Jedite carefully peered over towards the energy. And all he saw was a large black dome of energy. It was definitely made by a member of the Shitennou, and Zoicite would never be able to create something that powerful.

But Malachite wouldn't simply create some dome of energy, there had to be something about it. But it's energy was too powerful to make out other energy nearby.

Malachite himself was standing on top of a building, concentrating on something, probably maintaining the dome. From his angle, Jedite didn't think an ambush would be possible, and he still hadn't seen where Zoicite was. It would not do to leave his back exposed to that one: That was ultimately what did in Nephrite.

Just as Jedite was about to duck back into the warehouse to think of a strategy when he heard screams coming from the dome. Loud screams, female screams.

"_The Scouts!" _He thought. While he couldn't actually make them out from his vantage point, he was certain they were in that dome. He was about to step out when he stopped himself. He would do himself no good rushing recklessly, even if the Scouts were hurt.

He continued to watch, and his look soon went to horror as he noticed the dome was shrinking, and the screams were getting louder. It was hard to make anything out in the dome, but it appeared as though the Sailor Scouts were trying to break their way out using their attacks, which didn't appear to be working.

Even if Jedite attempted to destroy the dome from the outside, there was no guarantee that it would work, and it would reveal his position for a counterattack. While Jedite had grown and gotten stronger, a battle with Malachite would be more than one-sided without the backup of the Sailor Scouts.

But even if he couldn't attack directly, he could weaken the dome. Maybe the Scouts could break in down then. Carefully, Jedite stood with his back to a wall to prevent a surprise attack, stretched out his hands as Malachite did, and threw all his energy into stopping the constricting dome.

* * *

Even the pain in Tuxedo Mask's back could not stop him from watching Sailor Moon's laugh as she retracted the very sharp shard of crystal she had used to stab him.

"What are you..." It was hard to stand, but he tried to move. How could things have come to this. Was this an ambush to collect his crystals? This was so unlike her.

And Darien's question was answered a moment later as the sailor fuku descended Sailor Moon's body. Instead of being nude, though, Sailor Moon was draped in the general's coat of the Shitennou. Meatball-styled buns turned to a ponytail, and Tuxedo Mask beheld Zoicite, giggling uncontrollably as if he'd heard the best joke of his life.

"Well, look at that. Fell right for it." Zoicite continued to laugh and berate Tuxedo Mask.

"Now give me the crystals!" And Zoicite charged forward, with the shard of crystal in hand, ready to use as a weapon. Tuxedo Mask could already feel it was plenty sharp from the wound in his back, he didn't need to feel it again. He blocked it with his cane, but his wound was hurting badly. He could feel it bleeding, and it was making him shake and lose focus.

"I won't lose! Zoi!" Zoicite attacked with his free hand using his rose petal attack, but Tuxedo Mask couldn't bring his other arm to shield himself in time. The petals cut into his face and caused his domino mask to waver.

Zoicite put more power into his petal attack, and Tuxedo Mask could feel his mask flying off of his face.

Now he was starting to panic. Tuxedo Mask didn't think he'd ever run into Zoicite while he was Darien Shields, but he couldn't be certain of that. If Zoicite could recognize his face, then attacks could come at any moment, any time. And that meant the people he cared about, like his friends Andrew and Jed, would be in danger.

Adrenaline surged in Tuxedo Mask's body like none other. He swiftly kicked Zoicite's leg, staggering him a little. He rolled to the left, away from the crystal shard, and swiftly extended his cane straight into Zoicite's face, right into his eye.

"Argh!" The man grunted. Whether human or whatever the Negaverse was, Zoicite relied on his eyes like many others. Darien quickly grabbed his mask and disappeared out of sight.

He needed a place to hide. This battle wasn't over, but if he didn't take care of himself soon, it soon would be.

* * *

Malachite marveled when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Tuxedo Mask grab Zoicite in disguise. He pretended not to notice. This was Zoicite's plan and Tuxedo Mask wouldn't expect it. He could concentrate on eliminating the Sailor Scouts. Jedite may not have been in the crowd, but without the scouts to give him backup, he was just one man. Malachite could get rid of him and take his crystals back easily.

And then, Malachite felt something. Not on himself personally, but with the dome, which he was slowly shrinking in size to constrict the Sailor Scouts. Moving too quickly might have shattered it, and Beryl had cautioned him about carelessness after Jedite had survived.

The dome was not shrinking as Malachite willed it. There was something pushing out. It started out faint at first, but it continued, and Malachite had to put even more of his energy to constrict it.

It couldn't be the Sailor Scouts, they had no telekinetic abilities, could not stop his dome with their paltry attacks.

"_So, you've arrived, have you? You've gotten bold, Jedite, and even a little stronger. But not enough." _Malachite could not see Jedite from his position, so he must have been somewhere hidden. But he'd need to be within sight of the dome to properly use his telekinesis on it.

"M-Malachite, there's a problem." Malachite could hear Zoicite to his left, coming over to him, sounding quite agitated.

"What is it?" Malachite asked firmly.

"I had Tuxedo Mask cornered, but he scampered off and surprised me."

"You wounded him."

"Humans must be more resilient than I thought, I was certain my strike would be near-fatal." Zoicite growled in displeasure.

"Ignore him for now, he couldn't have gotten far. We have another guest this evening." Malachite turned, and smirked at his lover.

"Jedite's here?" Zoicite was elated. Malachite knew Zoicite would be eager to tackle the traitor: He had insulted and slighted Malachite by surviving, and, thanks to the interference he was running, Beryl might have considered him stronger than Zoicite. Such a thing would never be permitted on Zoicite's watch.

"He's attempting to stop me from crushing the Sailor Scouts, so he'd have to be somewhere close. Somewhere he can see the dome. I'll put just enough energy to maintain equilibrium. You, go and dispatch him." Malachite smiled with an evil grin. Zoicite laughed, shared the evil grin, and disappeared into the maze of warehouses.


	98. The Truth about Men

Jedite did notice some results as he tried to stop Malachite's dome from crushing the Scouts. The dome moved at a slower speed, and eventually seemed to stop.

And that worried him, he was trying to repel it, give the girls space. Malachite was pushing back, so he'd know something was up. He was still pushing though, which meant he would still be in position, so it had to be Zoicite, or a youma, but probably the former: A youma could never match a Shitennou in power.

While Jedite was not afraid of a battle with Zoicite, it would leave Malachite free to crush the Sailor Scouts. Fighting with his attention divided like that could invariably prove fatal.

He'd try to halt the dome as long as he could: If the Sailor Scouts could break out on their own, they'd need to be at their strongest.

So Jedite concentrated, trying to widen the dome.

"I spy a traitor!" Zoicite's voice shouted from behind Jedite quickly, and he only barely moved in time to dodge Zoicite lunging at him with a very sharp shard of crystal. Jedite sustained a pretty nasty cut to the arm, but it was much better then a blow to his back.

"Well, look at you, the traitor himself. My it has been a long time since I've seen the real you."

"It hasn't been long enough for me." Jedite returned.

"Trying to act the big man? The least of the Shitennou, banking on his looks and toadying to our Queen thinks he can challenge me?" Zoicite laughed haughtily.

"I've faced you before and each time, I've come on top. Let's see if now will be any different." And Jedite attacked first. Telekinesis wasn't the best weapon to use on a Shitennou due to teleportation, so Jedite had to stick with energy attacks. Zoicite dodged a quick blow to the left.

"Nephrite didn't stand a chance, what makes you think you will? Zoi!" Zoicite returned fire, an attack Jedite evaded rather easily.

"I just will." The two traded energy blasts for a minute. While Zoicite's power was not impressing Jedite, none of his attacks were doing any lasting damage. While he was here, the Sailor Scouts were almost assuredly still in the dome.

He had to cripple Zoicite, cripple him in front of Malachite so he'd drop the dome to deal with him. Malachite was definitely more logical, but his relationship with Zoicite could be exploited to save the Scouts. With the Scouts free, it would be five on two, and those odds were a lot better.

After firing another blast that Zoicite dodged, Jedite ran out of the warehouse, and used his powers to help him jump to the roof of a nearby building. He could have teleported easier, but he wanted Zoicite to see him, wanted Zoicite to give chase.

"Running? Looks like that's all the traitor can do." Zoicite was far too easy to manipulate, and quickly gave chase. Jedite leapt to another roof, right in line of where Malachite had been standing. Sure enough, Malachite was still looking over the dome, which was shrinking steadily. There was no need for him to overexpend: He could take his time.

"Want to die in the sight of your betters?" Zoicite noticed. "I'm fine with that, Zoi!" Zoicite let loose an attack, and Jedite teleported. Teleporting expended energy, and teleporting a short distance took far more energy than it did to walk, and didn't save enough time for it to be warranted.

But Jedite teleported a few feet away, just behind Zoicite.

"Right where I want you!" Jedite used his telekinesis to propel himself forward at a high speed. Normally, telekinesis was not useful on a living target because they tried to resist. But without resistance, it allowed one to go at a fast speed. Fast enough to send Jedite at a speed he wouldn't normally reach on his own. And all of that force collided right into Zoicite, sending him flying forward.

It was actually a pretty painful attack for Jedite to endure, but Zoicite was in far worse shape, flying prone through the air. Jedite unleashed another attack at him now. This time, he couldn't get away.

* * *

With eyes of venom, Beryl watched the battle closely from her base. She was truly uncertain whether or not Zoicite could pull this off. Malachite had informed her of the plan, and, while Beryl thought there was nothing wrong with it, she had thought that about a number of Jedite and Nephrite's plans, and those two ended up performing less than spectacularly. Jedite made a more effective enemy then he ever did under her.

She was monitoring Zoicite, Malachite could handle himself far better, he was her most able warrior. So she watched Zoicite fight Tuxedo Mask, and ambush him. And she watched as Zoicite attacked him, and managed to knock his mask off, giving Queen Beryl a perfect view of Tuxedo Mask's uncovered face.

And as she saw him, recognition flooded through Beryl's mind. He looked precisely like Endymion, the Prince of the Earth in the distant past, back during the time of the Silver Millenium. This was more than a simple resemblance, he looked precisely like him. Was this his reincarnation?

Queen Beryl had been told by Queen Metallia when the latter had awakened of what happened back in the Silver Millenium. Beryl knew that her forces had been defeated by Queen Serenity and the Imperium Silver Crystal. But, before that part had happened, Beryl and her Shitennou had managed to slay the Sailor Scouts, Princess Serenity, and Prince Endymion, who had cast his lot with them, despite Beryl's offer for him to be her King and consort. Queen Serenity, after all of that death, unleashed the great power of the Silver Crystal, destroying Beryl and her forces, and sealing Queen Metallia. But, partially due to Queen Serenity's grief over the massive amount of death that happened to the Moon Kingdom, the seal on Metallia was not perfect. After a thousand years, it had weakened enough for Metallia to escape.

Despite that, the Sailor Scouts had been reborn in this time. Who was to say that the same thing could not happen to Endymion as well. After all this time, Beryl still remembered Endymion. He was a fierce and brilliant warrior, handsome and strong. Their union would have been the strongest in all of the Earth Kingdom. But, despite Beryl's beauty and incredible powers as both sorceress and seer, he only had eyes for Princess Serenity, who lacked both of those things by herself.

In that instant, Beryl did not want Tuxedo Mask killed. Thankfully, he scampered off alive. She'd have to intercept this battle quickly, make sure he wasn't harmed further.

The only reason Beryl had ever joined forces against the Moon was to make Endymion hers. She wasn't about to muck it up now.

* * *

Malachite watched as Jedite made his appearance. Zoicite managed to sniff him out pretty easily. Malachite couldn't do much of anything while he was maintaining the dome, but he could laugh and watch as Jedite scampered away from Zoicite.

But his laugh soon changed as Jedite pulled some quick manuevers, teleporting quickly behind Zoicite, and ramming him with an incredible force, sniping at him while he was prone in the air.

Malachite could not allow this. While he was loathe to admit it, Jedite's power had grown. Perhaps he was recognizing his own hubris: Before his fall he was too proud to acknowledge his faults, perhaps it was due to his knowledge of Zoicite's strategy. Either way, Jedite was faring too well, and Malachite could not allow Zoicite to become crippled. Tuxedo Mask may have been injured, but he was out there somewhere, and he could still interfere, wounded though he was.

Malachite dropped the dome. There was no need to keep the Sailor Scouts now, keeping them out of the battle was less important than dealing with Jedite.

The traitor had leapt into the air, to deliver another attack on Zoicite, who was hurtling towards the ground. Before he could however, Malachite rose his own hand towards Jedite. And fired. Malachite didn't put all of his energy into the blast, but he definitely put a lot into it.

Jedite seemed to see it and tried to move, but he was too late. It caught him on the right side, near his hip. It was a glancing blow, but enough of it connected to knock Jedite backward and into the wall of the warehouse.

"_Hmph." _Malachite only wished he was closer so he could hear Jedite's scream of pain. So he'd have to settle for watching him. Jedite's clothes on the his right side were burned, and Malachite could see blood. From Jedite's pants, however, Malachite saw a small glint of color. A deep red color. Something had fallen out of Jedite's now-destroyed pants pocket and to the ground. Small and red, something Jedite had.

It could only be one of the Rainbow Crystals.

Now Malachite teleported down to reach him. He had to secure that crystal if his life depended on it. The traitor's prize would soon be reclaimed, as it should be. And Malachite could claim Jedite's life in compensation to rectify the other insult of surviving.


	99. A New Plan

"_Of all the cheap shots." _Zoicite growled as he hit the ground. Brazen, Jedite had definitely gotten more brazen since last Zoicite had seen him. He may have gained that cheap shot, but there was no way Zoicite was going to lose to the least of the Shitennou. But as Zoicite got to his feet, he felt a blast of energy shoot by past his head, right towards where Jedite had been.

"_Malachite?' _Zoicite wondered. Only he was around, and he was watching the fight. Did he offer some assistance? Zoicite flushed, it was always an honor to have Malachite at his side.

"Zoicite." He heard Malachite's voice call to him, and felt the man teleport beside him.

"Let's get that traitor!" Zoicite stated eagerly. With Malachite by his side, he was unstoppable. Even Queen Beryl could not hope to win.

"But first." Malachite held up a gloved hand. "He dropped a Rainbow Crystal. It fell around here. We must secure that first." Zoicite relented: Beryl was very specific about that, mentioning that, even if it meant letting Jedite go, they had to secure the crystals.

"No, that crystal is mine!" Jedite, standing up from where he fell, attacked with a wave of energy.

"Down, mutt." Malachite delivered coldly, and attacked Jedite again. The two attacks collided, and Jedite's dissipated in a puff of energy. Malachite's, however, continued to move, and sent Jedite flying backward and back into the warehouse wall.

Silently, after his attack, Malachite floated upwards into the sky.

"Ah, there it is!" Malachite used his vantage point to see, and Zoicite saw him elegantly pull a Rainbow Crystal into his waiting grasp.

"That's one down." Malachite carefully tucked the crystal away. "It seems Jedite is holding the crystals. Shall we see if he has the other two?"

"With pleasure!" Zoicite moved towards him.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" A line of light hurtled straight towards Zoicite's face, and he leapt backward just in time to avoid it.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Another attack came towards Malachite, who blocked it calmly with his hand. It seemed the Sailor Scouts were joining in this conflict. And just when things were starting to go Zoicite's way, too.

"You wretched girls think you can stop me?" Malachite stated firmly.

"Be careful, Sailor Moon." The one in red, Sailor Mars, said to their leader. "He's one of their most powerful warriors!"

"But it's not you girls we're interested in now, unless you have the Rainbow Crystals. We'll just deal with Jedite, take the crystals, and be on our way." Malachite ordered firmly. Hearing Malachite talk so gallantly always made Zoicite weak in the knees.

"You're not doing anything to him! I'm Sailor Moon, and I will protect all of my friends from scum like you!"

"So you consider him friend?" Malachite looked like he was about to laugh. "You think you see an ally? He will use you like he uses everyone else to get ahead."

"You think you can trick us, Negatrash!" Sailor Mars returned.

"Who do you think knows him better? We've known him far longer." Zoicite added. Driving a wedge between them was worth the attempt, it had no drawbacks, and the potential for a huge payoff.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars gave her response in the form of an attack. Malachite effortlessly blocked it.

"I think it's time you meddlers said good night!" Malachite said to the Scouts, who drew back into defensive stances. Not that it would help them.

Malachite stepped forward, and Zoicite watched eagerly as he drew up his hands. What sort of power would he unleash on the Scouts now? Zoicite could barely contain himself.

Before anything happened with Malachite, a large crate came in from the side and smashed into Malachite. The sheer weight of the thing knocked Malachite over, the heavy crate crushing into him, and shoving him aside.

Zoicite turned angrily to see Jedite, clutching his side with one hand and controlling the crate with the other. Out of breath, exhausted, but trying to fight as best he could.

"I've had enough of you!" Zoicite scowled. "Hand me the crystals!" He was about to attack.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury quickly intervened, and lay down a blanketing fog. Zoicite couldn't see, and Jedite could move anywhere under cover thanks to his telekinesis. Zoicite deemed it best to back into a defensible position and wait for his chance to strike. As the fog cleared, Jedite had completely disappeared, leaving only the Sailor Scouts.

"_No!" _The Crystals had gotten away. That wretched slime had outwitted them.

"So, Jedite, you escaped." In a flash of light, Malachite teleported beside Zoicite, and prepared to battle the Sailor Scouts. Without them, Jedite would, at least, have no backup.

"Malachite, Zoicite! Desist at once." As Zoicite prepared to fight the Sailor Scouts, he could hear a female voice in his head. It was Queen Beryl's voice.

"Desist?" Malachite spoke aloud. "We only have one of the crystals."

"That's fine." Beryl's voice returned. "I have another plan, a better plan. This plan won't get us much further."

"Majesty, we overpower the Sailor Scouts, let's be rid of them once and for all!" Zoicite insisted.

"I gave an order!" Beryl shouted firmly, so loudly it nearly made Zoicite's eardrums bleed.

"We'd best do as she says." Malachite said to his lover. "We'll get our chance." And with that, the two of them teleported away, one crystal in hand and lots of questions in their minds.

* * *

Jedite hadn't actually teleported away when Sailor Mercury laid down her cover, he just ducked away to prepare another ambush. If that little clash with Malachite told him anything, it was that he still had a long way to go to reach that guy's level. Zoicite was nothing, a straight fight between the two would end in Jedite's favor, but Malachite could wipe the floor with Jedite easily.

He had to rely on tricks to beat that guy, just like Zoicite did. While there was a host of differences that made it abundantly clear Jedite was nothing like that weasel, the similarity bothered him.

"Everyone okay?" Jedite stepped out of his spot towards the girls. From their time in the dome, they looked a little haggard, but nothing they wouldn't recover from.

"Yeah, what about you?" Sailor Mercury asked. Jedite's injuries were painful, but minor, and he healed pretty quickly. His green blood wouldn't be noticed at his shooting tomorrow.

"Fine. Unfortunately, he got the crystal from my pocket." Jedite's clothes fared far worse than he did, and the pocket couldn't hold the crystal when one side of it was missing.

"We still have the others, though, don't we?" Sailor Jupiter asked. Jedite patted his shirt and his other pants pocket. Still there. They didn't get all of them, at least.

Jedite removed the crystals and passed them back to Serena.

"I'm gonna go rest and clean up." Jedite remarked. "And we're going to have to train non-stop to beat Malachite. If he's getting involved, things are getting a lot harder."

"Ummm..." Sailor Mars started to perk up. "Perhaps...perhaps we should help you, with...with your injuries."

"That's not needed, besides, this is hardly the place for it, far too public an area, who knows what homeless folk might lurk around here." And Jedite teleported away quickly. There were a lot of things he found confusing. Tuxedo Mask didn't show up at all, and all of Jedite's past experience with the man told him he'd show up when the Scouts were in the danger they were in now. And that shard of crystal Zoicite was using to attack had a dark red stain on it. Like a puncture wound. Not deep enough to be fatal, if Jedite's human anatomy was what he remembered. Did Zoicite get him? Did Zoicite get his crystals, too? That was a problem.

But mostly, there was another reason Jedite wanted to be alone. He was cocky today, baiting Malachite as if he didn't know the full extent of that man's power. He could have easily been killed, the crystals lost. The Scouts hit an ambush and Jedite had to risk his life merely to distract Malachite, let alone win. Cheap shot with the crate aside, that only worked because the Scouts were in danger.

Guilt and shame mixed in Jedite's thoughts, and such bitter things to swallow were best done so alone.


	100. Final Affairs

"Queen Beryl, I must ask, why is it we were called back so quickly?" Malachite looked confused as he stood before his queen. Zoicite, too, was quite confused about what happened. They had Jedite, had him cornered, and even managed to reclaim one of the Rainbow Crystals from him. They now had the three they had claimed before: Red, Green, and Violet, with Jedite and Tuxedo Mask both having two. They could have claimed Jedite's, if he was carrying them. And even if not, he could have been done away with to prevent another daring theft.

"Your attack on Tuxedo Mask, Zoicite. It allowed me to discern his identity." Beryl informed her two subordinates.

"You...do you think he didn't have the Rainbow Crystals on him, and now we know where to steal them?" Zoicite tried to apply his mind to the matter, but this was the only thing he could think of. It did make sense, although what that had to do with not crushing Jedite was still unknown.

"Yes, but that is not the reason why. His name is Darien Shields, and I sense a powerful energy within him. He could be very useful to us."

"Your Majesty?" Zoicite asked. "You mean him, himself?"

"Yes. Our efforts against Sailor Moon have not borne much fruit, and we must consider changing our tactics." Beryl explained. "Tuxedo Mask is someone the Sailor Scouts are fond of. Giving them pause and hesitation could make the world of difference." While there was nothing wrong in what Queen Beryl was saying, and defying the Queen was bound to make one be punished, there was something in Beryl's voice that made Zoicite wonder. She was not telling them everything.

Zoicite looked over at Malachite, and he looked as perplexed as him.

"Your Majesty, how shall we lure Tuxedo Mask?" Malachite asked.

"With the crystals, of course. Challenge him to a fight for all of them. He will not be able to resist, and take him someplace out of the way. Knock him out, and I'll handle the rest." Beryl explained.

"But we only have three." Malachite protested.

"More than that, Tuxedo Mask was there when Jedite claimed the two he has." Zoicite chimed in. "Will he believe it?"

"We believe what we want to believe, Zoicite." Beryl lectured, and then positioned her hands around her staff.

"What did these crystals look like, Zoicite? What were their hue?"

"Well, the first one was a bright sky blue." Zoicite explained. The crystal ball on the top of Beryl's staff swirled with darkness for a moment, and then, from the top, emerged something that flew towards Zoicite. Nimbly, he caught it.

As he opened his hand, Zoicite was shocked. He was staring at a perfect replica of the crystal he had seen from that college woman, Rita Blake.

"Keep them with the others, Zoicite. And he will believe. After that, he shall be ours, and it won't matter what he believes, for it will support us."

In truth, Zoicite didn't have faith in this mission. Tuxedo Mask didn't seem prone to defecting anymore than Sailor Moon did. What was Queen Beryl's true agenda? She may have been their leader, but she was not infallible, and could be as irrational as Jedite or Nephrite.

But Zoicite explained the hue of the other Rainbow Crystal. For now, it was the best course of action.

* * *

It took a lot of strength to limp back to his apartment, but somehow, Darien managed it. He had de-transformed from Tuxedo Mask as soon as he was safe inside. It was too bad that wounds did not disappear with the costume.

Darien knew enough about injuries to know this was not a fatal one, but it was certainly painful. Would he be able to fight for the remaining crystals now?

He sat down on his couch. He'd have to apply a bandage to his wound, although he'd need someone else to help reach it. But for now, he needed a breather.

"_Breathe in, and out. You still know your name, your apartment number, your class schedule and the name of the Emperor. You've had worse hangovers." _Darien tried to tell himself.

After a second of sitting still, the world stopped spinning a little, and Darien stood up to get his medical supplies.

Before he could, however, there was a slight laugh. A familiar laugh. Zoicite's laugh. Darien looked around. That man could teleport, he could be anywhere.

His mask had flown off during the battle. Did Zoicite figure out who he was.

Darien's TV screen flickered, and powered on by itself. Instead of flipping to the news, or a commercial, the screen showed Zoicite's face.

"Well, hello there, Tuxedo Mask. Or should I say Darien. That seems more apprropriate, don't you think?" Zoicite made casual conversation, and Darien just shot daggers at him.

"No pleasantries? You're not much of a host, are you?" Zoicite giggled.

"What do you want?" Darien remarked coldly.

"This is a business call, anyway. I'm getting awfully tired of this game of cat and mouse, so I want to settle things once and for all. One on one battle, you and me for the seven Rainbow Crystals."

"You don't have the rest of the crystals: Jedite and Sailor Moon do."

"Don't I?" Zoicite then pulled up his hand, where five brightly colored crystals lay. Zoicite elegantly tossed them lightly into the air. They looked like the Rainbow Crystals, exactly like Tuxedo Mask remembered them.

"And what happened to Jedite and Sailor Moon?"

"Little weasels can escape when it seems dire, but not with their prizes. What matters now is that you and I are the only ones with the crystals. Meet me at Tokyo Tower at 6 PM tomorrow. Fight to the death, and the winner gets the crystals."

This was odd, Zoicite was the one with all of the advantages here. But this was too good an opportunity to pass up. He needed this crystals for the Moon Princess, and Zoicite had five of them already. That was five too many.

"Agreed. No strikes until then." Darien nodded.

"Of course." Zoicite agreed. "Too much effort. Make sure you're there." And with that, Darien's TV powered off.

Darien stood up, and took another deep breath. So, it was coming to this: A battle to the death for the crystals, just the two of them. Zoicite was easy in a single fight, so he'd probably set a few traps. But Darien had seen what he was capable of, he would be ready. He had to be ready.

Including treating his injury. Darien stood up to check his first aid supplies, but found he didn't have what he needed.

He exited his apartment to head down to the pharmacy: They should have something.

"Hey, Darien!" Darien heard Jed's voice from behind him.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Jed's face furrowed into a look of concern.

"Nothing...nothing at all. I'm fine." Darien brushed off.

"You don't look fine." Jed returned. "What happened? You need to get that treated."

"I...I am." Darien found a way to lie, and did it eagerly. "I'm headed there tomorrow morning, because the late nights just wait too long. I can treat it now until then."

"Darien...are you all right? You seem...disturbed." Jed wasn't the most acute of individuals, and disturbed probably wasn't the best word.

"Hey, do me a favor. When I come back to the store, I'll give you my spare key. They may keep me, at the hospital for a day or so, depending. If that happens, could you...could you feed my fish?" Darien asked. Jed looked completely surprised, and lost.

"I can, but...what's going on?" Jed asked. What could Darien say? That he was a superhero fighting for the fate of the world tomorrow at sundown, like some bad American Wild West movie? Zoicite already knew his human identity: Jed was in enough danger as it was being his best friend.

"I'll tell you when I get back." Darien lied again. One way or the other, he wouldn't bring Jed into a life that could hurt him. Jed was one of the few people Darien considered a friend, and he didn't want to lose him. He'd fight for the universe, so that people like Andrew, Lizzie, and Jed could leave in peace. It was best they didn't know about it.


	101. Caught in the Web

Jedite looked at the key in his hand just before he set out for the Scout meeting. While most Scout meeting took place in his apartment, this one he requested to be at Hikawa Shrine.

The key in his hand was not his, it was Darien's. Jedite had gone in there to feed his fish, just as Darien requested, and being close to home reminded him of Darien, and Jedite couldn't have that.

What could have caused Darien to get into such an accident like that? His face was unblemished, just one big wound in his back. It was an incredibly precise strike, one single move. That was too tactical for some burglar.

But Darien wasn't talking, and Jedite couldn't force him. He didn't have the power to read minds. By the time Jedite had woken up the next day, Darien was gone, and Jedite hadn't seen him all day.

He couldn't do much now. He just needed to get to the Scout meeting.

* * *

"Everything is set, Malachite. Tuxedo Mask, or that fool human who he is, will be here this evening." Zoicite had picked the perfect place to lay his ambush, even though ambush may not have been the right word for Beryl's plan.

As far as plans went, it was undeniably simple, easy to follow, and had little margin for error. Zoicite may have come up with a plan like this, although he would have used fatal ambushes instead.

But not Beryl, Beryl wanted Tuxedo Mask alive for some reason.

"That is good, Zoicite." Malachite praised. Hovering delicately in his hands were the Rainbow Crystals, including Queen Beryl's convincing fakes.

"Soon, we will have all of the crystals. As beautiful as they are now, the splendor of the Imperium Silver Crystal is said to be beyond reproach. And it will be ours." Malachite smiled.

"Malachite, do you know why Queen Beryl wants this man alive?" Zoicite had to voice his concerns, it was bothering him, and the mission would be affected.

"I do not. Queen Beryl does not need to explain herself to anyone but Queen Metallia." Malachite answered. Zoicite didn't think he would, elsewise, he would have said something already.

"It bothers you?" Malachite noticed.

"I don't understand." Zoicite returned. "What is our Queen planning?"

"Perhaps, tis as she says, having Tuxedo Mask could provide us with different tactics. But I think she has some other plan in mind. If she does, that is worrysome, that she will not share it with us. For now, Zoicite, I suggest we use Beryl's plan to our advantage?"

"Our advantage?" Zoicite asked.

"We were crushing Jedite before our Queen stopped us, but she never said anything about not continuing that. We're going to have every Rainbow Crystal here besides the ones he has. If we can lure him here too, we'll have them all."

"Intriguing." Zoicite smiled. Truly, he hadn't thought of luring Jedite. "But where will we find him? Of everyone, Jedite will be the least likely to fall for a trap."

"Perhaps not, but we take no risk in luring him." Malachite returned. "It won't interfere in what Beryl wants, and if we succeed, we'll have everything."

"I'm still suspicious of what Beryl wants." Zoicite agreed. "But I suppose that if I can kill Jedite, I'll be sated. How shall we lure him."

"All Shitennou can sense dark energy." Malachite answered. "Jedite is no exception to that. We simply allow ourselves to be sensed and he will be drawn to it."

"Will that not attract the Sailor Scouts."

"Possibly." Malachite admitted. "But it will be difficult to get in this place without teleportation, which those Scouts do not possess. Jedite, however..."

"He'll rush ahead, even if he's with the scouts, to check." Zoicite finished. "We'll have him then." He smiled.

"You really are the most clever of the Shitennou, Malachite." Zoicite praised.

"Thank you, my sweet." Malachite smiled at him.

"Queen Beryl said we must keep Tuxedo Mask alive, but she didn't say anything about fighting him. I can subdue him, of course."

"Try to take care, Zoicite, Beryl may not be pleased with that."

"Even our Queen understands Tuxedo Mask would not join our side willingly. Or he would have already done so." Zoicite replied.

"Well, I certainly would not deny my pet his sport, provided our Queen's will comes first. Do what is needed, Zoicite. Let me handle emitting energy so that Jedite will seek us out." Malachite teleported away, leaving Zoicite to plan his scheme.

Humans may have been frailer than Zoicite, but they could withstand a marvelous amount of punishment. And, after all the pain Zoicite had been caused by Tuxedo Mask, the fact that Queen Beryl wanted him alive meant little. Alive did not mean unspoiled.

* * *

"Oh man!" Serena started running full speed towards the temple. She was going to be so late for the meeting.

"_Why couldn't it be at Jedite's apartment? He always has cookies or something to eat there at least." _Serena thought as she kept moving. She may not have been made for long-distance sprinting, but all those days being nearly late for school made her very good at short spurts.

At least until she crashed into someone, which she did.

"Oops, sorry!" Serena giggled. She got to her feet quickly, but the man groaned and grimaced in pain as he tried to stand up.

"Are...you all right. I didn't think I crashed into you that hard..." Serena turned to look at the man, and she saw that it was Darien.

"Darien!"

"Meatball Head. Should have known you'd be adding insult to injury. Watch where you're going." Darien snapped off quickly. He seemed snippier than usual.

"Dweeb." Serena snapped back.

"You'd think after our time posing for that painting, you'd learn some class." Darien shrugged. "Whatever, I'm leaving." Darien moved away, walking very unsteadily.

Serena paused for a second. She didn't like Darien, he was still a jerk no matter what Serena was doing. But she didn't wish him any harm, and he looked like he was in some serious pain.

She was already going to be late for the Scout meeting. She could say she was checking up on Darien, who was injured. Surely, they would have accepted that.

So Serena followed him, for a moment, trying to stay further back so he wouldn't see her. He wasn't headed to a doctor or hospital. It seemed like he was heading more for the industrial district. What would he be looking for there, with his injury.

All of a sudden, Darien turned into an alleyway, close to the Tokyo Tower, and then he stopped. Serena halted moving too, and immediately, he wheeled around to face her.

"What are you doing, following me?" Darien immediately demanded.

"Well, you looked like you were in really bad shape, so I thought I'd see where you were going. It should be a hospital." Serena ordered.

"I'm fine, it's nothing. I have something really important to do."

"So important you don't take care of yourself. What could you be doing out here anyway?" Serena asked.

"Non of your business, Meatball Head, no go study, or whatever it is you were going to do that had you careening down the street like a crazy person. I swear, they should make you wear a helmet." And with that, Darien darted off towards the Tower.

"Hey, I'm not done lecturing you!" Serena ran over towards Darien as he reached the tower. Just before she could scream at him, however, she saw a bright red flash around her.

"What!" She screamed.

"Serena!" Darien turned around and noticed her, and his eyes widened in fear. He moved towards her in an effort to shove her, but before he could touch her, the bright red thing that surrounded them seemed to lift both her and Darien off of the ground, and flutter towards the tower.

"_This...this feels like the Negaverse." _Serena thought. But how could she contact the others with Darien right next to her? Or even transform, for that matter.

To make things even worse, Darien was injured as he was. Whether it was Zoicite or that other guy Malachite, they did not play games, and Darien would be in danger if he was around them even at his peak.

How was she going to get out of this one?


	102. Shattered

On his way to the Sailor Scout meeting, Jedite began to feel something odd. A stirring, a feeling. He could feel hints of dark energy, the essence of a Shitennou close by.

"_What could you be planning." _Jedite stopped for a moment, sat on a bench, and tried to concentrate on the energy. Was it moving or stationary? The general themselves or just a trail?

If it was Malachite, Jedite would have to summon the Scouts. But if it was Zoicite, there would be no need. He could tail that one on his own, and deal with him if a problem arose.

He couldn't tell who the energy belonged to, but it left a very clear trail. Without concentrating harder and potentially exposing himself, he couldn't detect it very far, but it appeared to be going to the industrial districts.

"_What could he want there?" _Jedite still had the two crystals on his possession, and why would Tuxedo Mask ever be in the industrial sector of town? If he worked there as a human, why would he bring the crystals to a place that was dangerous.

More than likely, Zoicite was setting an ambush. Ambushes were not Malachite's style: He would simply take what he wanted using his incredible power, forget subtlety completely. Zoicite needed to get ambushes to win.

That meant Jedite could observe, handle this. Serena would be late to the Scout meeting anyway. She was always late.

* * *

Serena seemed to have fainted in whatever that red bubble thing was, so Darien stood up alone as he stared down Zoicite.

"Well, look at that, brought a little playmate? You do play dirty." Zoicite teased.

"She's just...she followed me. She's got nothing to do with anything."

"Fine." Zoicite agreed. "I'm not interested in anything else but the crystals." Zoicite reached into the folds of his coat and, one by one, produced the five Rainbow Crystals. They looked exactly as Darien remembered them, in the brief moments he had seen them.

So Darien reached into his pockets and pulled out the last two Rainbow Crystals. Carefully, the two placed them in a pile on the ground.

"Hmph. I thought they'd combine into the Silver Crystal." Darien frowned.

"Once you're dead, I'll have plenty of time to figure it out. Maybe it's like a puzzle." Zoicite mused. Once he finished speaking, there was a bright light flashing beside Zoicite, and, there was a man Darien had never seen before.

He looked much Zoicite, except with silver hair. He was dressed similarly, perhaps this was his partner.

"Hey, you said this was one-on-one."

"It is." The silver-haired man nodded. "I shall be fighting you, merely making sure the crystals aren't damaged. Tis important to keep the prizes unspoiled." And with that, the Rainbow Crystals, laying on the ground, hovered into the air, far above the two of them.

"And once you fall, they're mine for the taking!" Zoicite growled.

"Patience, Zoicite, remember our mission." The silver haired man cautioned. Darien could sense that man was infinitely more powerful than Zoicite. It would be a difficult fight if he was fighting that one? So why was Zoicite so eager?

And then, Darien answered his own question, Zoicite was a cocky freak with an ego twice the size as he was. It could only be him. That was fine.

The silver haired man faded away as Darien reached into his coat and pulled out a rose. It was no ordinary flower, it never wilted and always seemed to return to his hand no matter what.

It was the base of his power as Tuxedo Mask. But he didn't need to transform just yet. He threw the rose at Zoicite, who smiled and watched it come towards him. Perhaps he thought nothing of it, since Darien was not transformed.

He didn't need to be, and Zoicite would soon learn that mistake.

* * *

Serena was just starting to come too, and the ground was none too pleasant. She could taste it in her mouth, and spit as she got to her feet.

"_Did I faint?" _The last thing she remembered was some bright red ball, and she was next to Darien...

"_Darien!" _Was he caught in that thing too? Serena was certain the Negaverse was behind something like that, but if he was caught in it, that made things a lot worse. He'd be in danger.

"Agh!" Serena heard a loud scream, and when she turned to face it, she could see Zoicite clutching his cheek as if he'd been struck there. Standing far in front of him was Darien.

"You...you cretin!" Zoicite shouted. "I'm not going to lose to you!" And with that, Zoicite disappeared in a flutter of flower petals, teleporting away just as he always did.

"Serena!" Darien noticed she was awake.

"What's going on?" Serena had to play dumb. She couldn't just tell Darien she was Sailor Moon, that would be dangerous.

"You gotta get out of here!" Darien shouted.

"Where!" Serena asked. She didn't see a door anywhere in sight.

"You're going nowhere! You and that girl are going to die!" Zoicite's voice shouted. At once, Serena began to feel the ground beneath her rumble, and large cracks began to appear in the ceiling.

"Oh no!" Serena shouted.

"Run!" Darien grabbed her by the wrist and started to run away.

"Where are we going!"

"Somewhere that isn't here!" Darien just kept running, and it was all Serena could do to keep up.

* * *

"Where is Serena!" Raye groaned as she waited at the temple. All of the other Scouts were here, but Serena and, surprisingly, Jedite, were both absent. Serena was late, as always, but Jedite was always surprisingly prompt. Given that he could teleport, lateness was something he never did.

Sitting next to her, Amy was typing into her microcomputer, Lita kept her eyes looking at the entrance for signs of Serena, and Mina, along with her cat Artemis, sat elegantly on the porch.

"Did Jedite say why he wanted to have the meeting here?" Lita asked.

"He's probably sick of Serena snatching all his food." Raye returned sarcastically. Although, when he called her, he seemed a little frantic. Another one of his daring moves? No, he was a lot more evasive when that happened.

"Guys, my computer's picking up some incredible readings!" Amy shouted.

"What is it?" Mina asked.

"By the Tokyo Tower. The scale of the energy is incredible." Amy remarked.

"Knowing Jedite, he's probably already there checking it out. No wonder he's not here." Lita replied.

"Too bad we don't get to spend much time as our normal selves. Whenever we meet, there's always a crisis." Mina sighed. "And I was so looking forward to bribing Jedite for that spot on his show."

"You're surprising upfront about that. But careful, he takes things way too literally."

"He's gotten a better at that, though." Raye chimed in. For some reason, having Lita talk about Jedite so much seemed to make her face flush.

"_Not jealousy, just...it's not...I don't have time to think, we need the Sailor Scouts." _


	103. Zoicite's Strike

Darien just kept running, draggin Serena behind him, and made his way towards the elevators. Normally, in a crisis, Darien wouldn't think to use them, but they seemed a solid place as any for now. As far as he could tell, he was on the first floor. It's not like they'd fall like they did in the movies.

He shoved Serena in quickly and jumped in with enough time to watch the ceiling collapse around him. He hunched down for a moment to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked. He could hardly believe she was still here, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Fine." He said. "You?"

"I'm not hurt." Serena remarked.

"You need to find a way out of here."

"What just happened?" Serena asked. While she was normally a very clueless girl, he couldn't blame her now, he could barely understand it himself, and that was only due to being Tuxedo Mask.

"You just need to escape. They don't want you, they won't care what happens." Darien remarked. Truly, he wasn't sure, but Serena wouldn't be safe with him,

Before Serena answered, however, he felt the elevator jostle, and then start to ascend.

"Did you touch anything?" Darien asked.

"No! Honest!" Serena shouted. "What is going on here?" Perhaps Zoicite was doing something to this elevator. Who truly knew the extent of his powers.

"At least we're safe here for now, but you need to..."

"I know, find someplace safe." Serena became annoyed.

"Well, you've seen already what this person can do. And he's twice as ruthless, you won't be shown any mercy by him."

"What's the story about you, anyway? How do you associate with such horrible people? Does Raye know? Cause I knew you were a jerk but..."

"I don't know." Darien replied.

"How do you not know?" Serena asked.

"I really don't know how this all came into place, or much about anything." Darien admitted. What was the harm in telling Serena this story now? The Negaverse creeps had all seven of the Crystals now thanks to Zoicite's little cowardly act, and who knew if they could turn it into the Imperium Silver Crystal as well.

"I was in a car accident when I was younger. It killed my parents and put me in a coma for a long time. When I woke up, I was all alone, and I couldn't remember a thing. Who I was, my parents, anything. I only knew the name Darien from what the nurses and doctors said."

Darien leaned against the wall of the elevator, and took in a deep breath.

"After I got out of the hospital, I went to an orphanage. I lived there until I got a job, and then went to college. That's really all there is to me." Even though it was kind of pointless, Darien couldn't tell her that he was Tuxedo Mask. Something about it seemed wrong. As if, the less Serena knew, the more he could protect her. The girl was an annoying klutzoid, but not a bad person. He hoped he could keep her safe until he could deal with Zoicite. And after that, who knew.

* * *

Zoicite stood watch over the elevator, slowly ascending with the man who was Tuxedo Mask. He seemed to have that blonde girl with the obnoxious hairstyle with him.

"_Do-gooders." _Zoicite laughed to himself. Protecting her would make him weak, just as that silly Molly did for Nephrite. It was manageable, Zoicite didn't care how much he won, as long as he did in the end. That was what mattered. He did it with Nephrite, he'd do it now with Tuxedo Mask and the crystals, and, Beryl permitting, he'd do it to the traitor Jedite as well.

He had a moment while these two were ascending the elevator. So Zoicite thought for a moment, and puzzled why Queen Beryl wanted this Darien fellow alive. Queen Beryl was supposedly practical, and this made no sense. What good would it do to waste effort bringing in this fool alive? He could more than enough of his share of strife, even more then Jedite. While Zoicite supposed he could understand Queen Beryl abducting Jedite, and brainwashing him for the sake of irony, to do so with a human, and be so unnaturally evasive, was odd.

And this only just happened when Jedite was revealed to be alive. This gave Zoicite pause for a minute. He did not believe in coincidence. Did realizing Jedite was alive unhinge her? It was whispered by many that Queen Beryl had Jedite's loyalty till death, even against Queen Metallia. To have him have the choice to leave and not?

Could it truly be that simple? Was Beryl losing her grip after watching Jedite betray her and Nephrite die? The rigors of command, assigning those fools and watching them fail. Watching Jedite become such a damnable nuisance?

Perhaps Beryl didn't have their mission in mind. What could would it do to have a simple man like him on their side? Zoicite knew full well that brainwashing required a great amount of energy. Old memories must be erased, new ones built. Many details needed to be filled in. Without such a thing, they were automatons, soulless. They had no ambition, which made them poor allies. So Beryl would expend all of that energy for what purpose? They had the Rainbow Crystals. If it was something to do with the Rainbow Crystals combining, why didn't Beryl mention that: Zoicite could accept that logic perfectly.

He'd had enough of this ridiculous farce. Screw Beryl and her petty desires, Zoicite's mission superceded the silliness of anyone, even her Queen.

Zoicite stretched out his hands in a crucifix shape. In the space between his hands, a small jolt of fire appeared. Zoicite kindled it, nurtured it, and grew it to a massively hot blast. It would incinerate the elevator and these two fools along with her. Zoicite had the crystals, he could afford to be brazen. All that was left was Jedite, and, if Malachite's plan worked, Zoicite would truly have all seven crystals. Then, Beryl would not care, the crystals would be hers, the world to follow.

"Goodbye." Zoicite dropped the flame down the shaft. He didn't need to watch it, hearing the explosion was more than enough.

"You!" But it wasn't an explosion he heard first. He heard a voice, the voice of a man. Not Malachite, not Darien, someone he hadn't expected.

"Who's there!" Zoicite turned around. There should have been no one here this high in the tower, Zoicite had sensed no human energy in the tower at all. But now he could, a strong powerful energy, with a hint of dark power.

From out of the shadows stepped the speaker of the voice. A tall man, with black hair. He wore human clothes and a very angry expression on his face.

Harvey Sigurd. Zoicite was being accosted by a silly actor who happened to have an uncanny resistance to dark magic. It was a good thing Zoicite didn't fall over laughing.

"An actor, all the way here? Some photo shoot go wrong?"

"I am more than a simple actor. I know who you are. What are you doing here!" He accused.

"I don't care to speak with you." Zoicite replied. "And I have what I want. But I'm bored now. The last part of my plan may not be here yet, but I can drain your energy dry until I get it."

"You can certainly try, but you won't me easy prey." Harvey got on the balls of his feet, and drew back into a ready stance.

"Hold it!" And Zoicite heard another voice, a female voice. And all a sudden, his perfect day came to a screeching halt.


	104. Secrets Between Men

Serena wasn't sure what to think of Darien's relevation about his past. Neither Raye nor Jedite seemed to know very much about who he was before. Of course, Jedite hid his own past, and probably wouldn't ask Darien about his own, lest it lead to reversing the question.

But she didn't have very much time to think about it, for she heard something burning from far above her. Serena looked up and saw a large line of fire, coming down the elevator shaft straight towards her.

"Darien, fire!" She called. But Darien had already seen it.

"This isn't good!" Darien returned. Serena panicked for a second.

"_Wait. Sailor Moon could get us out of this." _She thought. Her transformed self was much stronger than her normal self. She was stronger, more agile. Nothing was certain, but she had a better chance saving herself and Darien as Sailor Moon far more than as Serena Tsukino.

But then Darien would know who she was. Could that be dangerous.

No more dangerous than the fire coming down here, and Zoicite seemed to have it in for Darien to begin with.

"Moon Prism Power!" Serena transformed. Once she was finished, she could hear Darien's slight moans of shock from right beside her.

"Grab on!" She insisted. Darien was so shocked he could barely comply, but Sailor Moon leapt up and grabbed the elevator cables before the fireball reached the elevator itself. She climbed up as furiously as she could as she could hear part of the cable beneath her crackle, and, with a snap, the elevator descended into darkness.

"_Hmph. I'd never be able to do this as Serena. Why can't my powers rub off in my normal self?" _

It took a lot of exhaustive effort, but Sailor Moon managed to make it up to an open pair of elevator doors. Zoicite must be inside. She leapt into the open doorway, put Darien down, and stood up straight and tall.

"Hold it!" She called. Zoicite had his back turned to her, and he seemed to be looking off towards the other side of the room. Serena followed where Zoicite's gaze went, and found herself locking eyes with Jedite, in his Harvey Sigurd disguise. He knew she was here? Were the Scouts not far behind. Good. All of the Rainbow Crystals were here, although after the roof collapsing downstairs, where they actually were was uncertain.

"You've done far too much already, wretched fiend! I will not stand for it. I am Sailor Moon, righter of wrongs, and I will triumph over you, Zoicite!"

"Hahaha! So she manages to show up now? Seeking the Crystals, are you? Hoping to get them all yourself?" Zoicite asked. "No matter. I've got five of them now and once little Jedite gets here, they'll all be mine."

So he didn't know Jedite was Harvey Sigurd, right behind him? That was good. That meant he didn't know that Harvey Sigurd was dangerous to him.

"So Sailor Moon comes to rescue me." Jedite stated with a laugh. "Wow, it's like the princess comes to rescue the knight in the tower." For a second, Jedite's sarcasm threw Sailor Moon off, but soon she realized that he was trying to keep up the farce, make Zoicite believe he was just some actor.

"Get out of here now, Mr. Sigurd!" Sailor Moon called back.

"Jed! Is...is that you?" Darien, trying to stand up but having a hard time with his injuries, called out.

"D...Darien?" Jedite was surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Look at this, a happy reunion, I could just about throw up! I'm here for Tuxedo Mask, and no teenybopper superhero or headstrong actor is going to stop me from getting what I want."

"Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Moon scoffed. "He's not even here. And how do you have five Rainbow Crystals?"

"Tuxedo Mask gave them to me. I'm feeling charitable today, it's the day of our victory." Zoicite replied with a chuckle.

"Like I said, he's not..." Sailor Moon started.

"He is." Darien replied.

"Huh?" Sailor Moon turned to look at him. Darien had stood up tall and was reaching into his pocket.

"Darien?" Jedite asked perplexedly. Darien elegantly pulled out a long stemmed rose from his pocket. Tuxedo Mask's symbol, Sailor Moon had seen it many times.

"He...can't be..." But Sailor Moon watched her denial ring false, as Darien's street clothes became an elegant tuxedo, top hat, mask and cape.

Right in front of her, her worst enemy and nemesis turned into her idol and hero.

* * *

"I can handle him, Sailor Moon. But...Jed...Harvey, is a good friend of mine. Please, get him out of here. He shouldn't get hurt, and neither should you." Tuxedo Mask's injury was hurting like no other, but he couldn't afford to think of that now. Perhaps Serena was Sailor Moon, but Jed was just Jed, a simple actor. He'd get hurt if he stayed here.

"Darien...you...I don't believe it." Jed looked dismayed. Being an actor, Jed had great control of his emotions, but Darien could sense how real his surprise was.

"This is all so sweet. No one knew a thing." Zoicite, on the other hand, seemed bored. "Zoi!" Zoicite attacked Tuxedo Mask, who tried to dodge by leaping out of the way. As he landed, though, he groaned. That stab wound on his back must have been acting up.

"Right where I want you!" Zoicite attacked again. But before he could, he fell forward, straight onto the ground. Darien looked around for the attacker. Sailor Moon was on the other side of Zoicite, if she had somehow attacked, Zoicite would have flown backward. But he fell forward, which meant the attack came from...

Jed was standing very calmly, rooted in his position. He had seen Zoicite attack with powers unlike anything anyone anywhere should have ever done. And he didn't blink, he didn't bat an eye. His right hand was extended out, palm forward, pointed towards Zoicite. Direct line of sight said it came from there. Jed Hanson had an energy attack too.

"What the..." Zoicite was angered.

"Darien...you're not the only one with secrets." Jed sighed, and with that, his body glowed in white light, for just a moment. But when it subsided, Jed wasn't wearing his street clothes. He was wearing a general's coat, matching pants, and high boots. And his face was a face he'd seen time and time again.

"Jedite!" Zoicite called out first. "So, that's why my plan didn't work for you. The Black Crystal wouldn't turn you into a youma."

"No, I suppose it wouldn't. It's made a nice keepsake, and a trophy. I wonder how you escaped from that one with Beryl's wrath." Jedite adopted a taunting demeanor with his former comrade.

"I'll claim that with your head. And your Rainbow Crystals." Zoicite growled. Speaking of Crystals, Zoicite claimed he had five crystals to match Darien's two, but Sailor Moon claimed to have two.

"I think the two I have is a little...few. Seven's a lucky number, let's try that." Jedite drew into a battle stance.

"I have no time to waste on you at the moment. I'm in the middle of fighting Tuxedo Mask for his crystals. After I'm done with him, I'll move on to you. Let's settle this once and for all, you and me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Jedite returned. So he did have the crystals. What else could he have expected from a liar like Zoicite. But now he had to battle. If they got rid of Zoicite and claimed the crystals, Tuxedo Mask could battle Jedite another time. The two knew each other's secret identities.

They were both men, despite Jedite not being human. They would have it out once and for all. A fight, but not to the death, a fight till one surrendered. Jedite, despite his past, was an honorable fellow now. If that is what happened, it would be a compromise Darien could live with. He'd rather settle things like that than lose his best friend. One of the few he had.

But that precluded Zoicite. He needed to be dealt with first.

"Shall we continue?" Zoicite asked. "There's nowhere else to run. Let's settle this one and for all." He smiled, and drew into a battle stance. Tuxedo Mask nodded.

"Darien!" Jed, now Jedite, called. His tone was a mix of warning and worry. Jedite had, after all, seen the wound in his back. Fighting now wasn't going to be easy. But it had to happen now, or Zoicite would unleash more schemes. And against Jed, no less, now that his identity was disclosed.

Darien didn't answer, and stepped forward.

"Let's finish this." Zoicite answered. And just as Darien took another step forward, Zoicite's eyes widened. A piercing pain shot through Darien's back, and he realized too late that no matter his promises, Zoicite would never fight fair.


	105. The Imperium Silver Crystal

"Darien!" Jedite called out far too late for Zoicite's ambush, in the form of a glowing blue, very sharp shard of crystal, shot out from a hidden spot and embedded itself firmly in his back.

Not thinking of Zoicite anymore, Jedite teleported over to Darien. But still, Serena, as Sailor Moon, reached him first. She crouched down beside him, and she was in tears. All the fighting she and Darien did, and Serena was broken seeing him hurt. Humans surprised him even still, even with Jedite knowing Serena held compassion for all.

"I'm...I'm sorry." Darien reached up to Serena's face. "Thank you...Serena. You helped...a lot."

"Darien, please no!" Serena pleaded.

"Jed...it looks like...you surprised me too. Thanks for...being...my...buddy. Take...care..."

"Don't be stupid." Jedite returned. "I have powers beyond even yours. You know that. I can do something." Jedite was bluffing, of course. He saw how deep that crystal went into Darien's back, and human physiology was still something he wasn't certain of, but it was only a few inches to major organs, and that crystal went in a few inches.

But Jedite couldn't bear to tell Darien the truth, even though Darien probably already knew it already.

"This is all so sickening. No wonder you're a failure, Jedite, mourning over a human. You and Nephrite both are..." And that was all Zoicite managed to get out before Jedite, standing up tall, had just about enough of his voice. And charged forward. A telekinetic charge, just like before, but with significantly more force into the attack. And Jedite extended his fist first. The dash between Jedite and Zoicite would have taken a human only a few seconds, but Jedite did it in a split-second, and the force of the blow catapulted Zoicite backwards and into the wall.

"You are done speaking!" Jedite growled angrily, and dashed again. It was far too fast, even for a teleport, to evade. Jedite couldn't feel the pain such attacks brought to himself: Rage was one powerful anesthetic.

"Cretin!" Zoicite spit blood. Jedite change tactics and fired energy blasts: He couldn't allow his attack patterns to become predictable. These were slower, and Zoicite managed to evade them.

"Do you the crystals, fool? You have no business here otherwise." Zoicite spat out.

"Yes. And the only way you're getting them is killing me. But I know your tricks, Zoicite, if you think to ambush me, you've got another thing coming!" Jedite fired two more energy blasts, and caught Zoicite with one. Zoicite was on the defensive, which was good. Attacking helped clear Jedite's head of his rage, and, by the time Zoicite was prepared to retaliate, Jedite's calm would have returned, and he could battle with a clear head.

The crystals were safe: Zoicite, even if he had the other five, wouldn't get his two as long as Jedite drew breath.

* * *

By the time Sailor Mars had arrived with the rest of the Sailor Scouts to the source of the black energy, it had grown. She could feel an incredible power here.

"_I just hope Jedite's okay." _Mars thought. He could handle himself, but that didn't mean she didn't worry. Jupiter's quick thinking use of her powers got them inside, but Mercury's scanners told her that the energy was strongest at the top of the fortress.

"I sense two very strong dark powers. One is getting stronger, the other weaker." Mercury answered. Perhaps Jedite was doing well, but if he wasn't, Mars knew she had to be backup.

There was no way to the top other than the stairs, but being a little winded wasn't going to stop a Sailor Scout, any of them. Mars took the lead with Jupiter firmly behind her. There was no maze when it came to stairs, and the scouts just kept ascending until they couldn't ascend anymore.

"It's through here!" Mercury called and pointed towards a pair of imposing, but plain looking, doors. Mars tested it and saw it was neither locked nor trapped.

"Let's go." Venus took charge and pushed into the room. Mars was expecting the sight of a great battle, and that's exactly what she got when she went inside. But even so, the results were nothing what she expected. Jedite and Zoicite were locked in conflict on one side of the room, throwing energy attacks at each other, and often having Jedite use that telekinetic charge of his to send Zoicite flying. It was clear that Jedite was winning, and Zoicite being thrown around like a rag doll. Good, perhaps they could get rid of that amoral freak.

It was when Mars's eyes settled on the other occupants of the room that she paused. Sailor Moon was also there, no wonder she missed the meeting. On her knees, looking very distraught. Laying on his back in front of her, was Tuxedo Mask. Twitching, but not moving very much. Was he hurt?

As Raye took a step closer, she realized she was not looking at Tuxedo Mask, but rather, Tuxedo Mask-less. Darien, her ex, Jedite's best friend, dressed in the superhero's formal clothing, holding his rose and cane. Everything but the mask. And he was hurt, his skin was pale and there was blood coming from his mouth.

"You guys!" Jedite's voice called, and, in a flash, he had teleported over to their sides after he knocked Zoicite to the ground.

"What happened." Venus asked. Jedite's mouth pursed into an uneasy look, and, perhaps for the first time since he had first been betrayed, Mars could see that Jedite looked very uneasy.

"Darien, Darien!" Serena's voice called, and then she began to sob.

"I'm sorry, Serena." Jedite shut his eyes and averted his gaze. Just as he did with Nephrite. Mars knew what that meant. She was hurting too, but she couldn't cry. Serena loved Tuxedo Mask fiercely, and Jedite had lost his best friend. Even though she was close to Darien, what right did she have to act as though she was the only one miserable?

And just as one of Serena's tears descended her cheek and was about to fall on Darien's face, it began to glow. Slightly at first but soon it began to become even more powerful. So blinding, the Scouts nearly averted their own gazes.

"Ergh." Jedite called out, not in pain, but in clear discomfort.

"Jedite?" Jupiter asked. He didn't answer, but he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. When Jedite opened his hand slightly, Mars could see it was one of the Rainbow Crystals he carried. Mars could see Jedite's arm shaking immensely, as if he was struggling to keep hold of it.

"It's...it feels like I'm holding an earthquake!" Jedite stated before the crystal seemed to rip itself from his grip, and, of it's own will, began to hover towards Sailor Moon's tear, seeking it like a beacon. A second later, Mars heard a rip of fabric as the other crystal Jedite was holding tore itself from his other pocket.

As the two crystals from Jedite floated gently towards Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars noticed, from the ceiling, tiny sparkles of light, as what appeared to be the other Rainbow Crystals hovered towards Serena as well.

"All seven Rainbow Crystals!" Luna shouted. "They are coming together."

"That means the Moon Princess is about to make her appearance." Artemis, the white cat of Sailor Venus, quickly added.

"This energy." Jedite still looked uncomfortable, but all of the Scouts watched as the crystals began to shrink and then seemed to merge inside one of Serena's tears. Once all of them did so, the crystal began to grow, until it became a sphere the same size as the Rainbow Crystals, in a bright silver color.

"I'd know that light anywhere!" Luna exclaimed in exultation. "That's the Imperium Silver Crystal."

"We have it, but where is the Princess?" Artemis asked. As Raye watched the crystal, she noticed Serena stand up, and almost robotically, she pulled out her Crescent Moon Wand. Upon the wand's emerging, the beautiful crystal, just as delicately as the Rainbow Crystal's movement, placed itself inside of her wand. And once this happened, Serena's tiara disappeared from her forehead, and her normal fuku became a long, splendid scintillating white gown. A symbol of a crescent moon appeared on her forehead where her tiara had been.

"Sailor...Moon...She's the princess?" Mars called in disbelief. It was the only thing that made sense now.

There were still many questions. About the crystal, about how neither Jedite nor Mercury could figure this out. But Raye's countenance changed after this. She was more invigorated then ever. This was no longer a battle to prevent this crystal from falling into Beryl's hands: Sailor Moon was a ditz but she'd never give it up willingly.

It meant that the battle would soon be over. With the Sailor Scouts in the victory lane. Raye smiled.


	106. Goodbye, Darien

Jedite was almost afraid to breathe once the Silver Crystal had been revealed. He'd felt the energy of the Rainbow Crystals before, and, even if Jedite was carrying all of them in his possession, their power would never have reached the power of this crystal, now firmly embedded in Sailor Moon's wand.

"There it is!" Zoicite shouted exultantly, and Jedite had nearly forgotten he was still here.

"No you don't!" Jedite shouted.

"That crystal is mine! Zoi!" Zoicite attacked Sailor Moon, who was quietly kneeling on the ground. Jedite was about to dash towards them, but before he could even react, he watched Sailor Moon, in an almost trance-like state, raise her arm holding the wand above her head.

"Cosmic Moon Power!" She called out, her voice so soft Jedite could barely hear her. But once she finished speaking, a large wave of power eminated from the crystal. It's silver light extended out in a wave towards Zoicite, and once it connected with him, Zoicite flew backward at a speed far faster than he did when Jedite was attacking. He slammed into the wall so hard his body started to ascend it.

Jedite had never seen such power before. Neither he, Malachite, or even Beryl could do something like that, and so effortlessly. This was the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal? It almost made him sick to his stomach.

Delicately, Sailor Moon, or whoever this Moon Princess was, put the wand down on the now unconscious Tuxedo Mask. Between Jedite's best friend being Tuxedo Mask, Tuxedo Mask's life-threatening injuries, and now Sailor Moon being the Moon Princess and wielding the Imperium Silver Crystal, it was almost too much for his mind to process.

But then Sailor Moon's beautiful gown disappeared from her body, turning back into her normal sailor fuku. Her head semeed to waver for a minute, and then collapsed right on top of Tuxedo Mask.

"Sailor Moon!" The scouts called and ran over to her side. Jedite couldn't move for a moment. That was the power that sealed Queen Metallia, a being that could reduce Jedite to a bloody smear without batting an eyelash. And Sailor Moon could tap into it.

It was gratifying, to see that the power was in their possession, but it was quite terrifying. Who knew for certain how that crystal worked, that one could simply use its power right off the bat. And if they slipped once, Beryl might obtain it. And then it would be just as if the Rainbow Crystals all fell into her hand.

Eventually, he composed himself, and walked over towards her. Her energy was very weak, although that may have been due to the energy of the crystal nearly overwhelming him. It felt like that, just after being used?

"She's just fainted." Mercury checked her pulse. Carefully, Jupiter removed her from Darien.

"What about him?" Mars asked, and looked towards the unconscious man.

"I don't feel much energy from him." Jedite said sadly. This wasn't the proximity of the crystal, Darien did not look well at all.

"You...cretins...won't be..." Jedite heard Zoicite talk in ragged, halting tones. Jedite stepped forward in front of the women and stared down his former comrade. Whether it was the energy of the crystal, the impact against the wall, or both, Zoicite was in awful shape. Jedite was taking him on as an equal before, a battle now would just be unfair. But that didn't bother Jedite, he didn't have to play fair, Zoicite didn't deserve it.

Before Zoicite could attack, however, he crumpled to the floor, unable to stand up. In a flash of light, Malachite was quickly beside him.

"Zoicite!" He called with genuine worry. "What happened. The crystals, they..."

"We can...get it back. Queen Beryl..." Zoicite still could barely speak and trembled as he tried to stand again.

"We'll get it back. But first, we have a little business to take care of." Malachite scowled.

"You won't get the opportunity." Jedite was ready to fight. The confusion left him while he was in battle, and he was ready to fight. He could only focus in conflict.

"Cast your lot, have you, Jedite?" Malachite returned.

"Malachite. Your quivering lover faced the barest of power from the crystal and he can barely stand. Victory here is but assured. It's too bad you won't be savoring it."

"That the Sailor Scouts accept a turncoat toady like you. You'd betray them the second our Queen gets her crystal."

"If you think that's going to work, you're stupider than I remember. Of course, you couldn't kill me when you had an ambush, so maybe it's a personal problem."

"I don't have time to waste on you." Malachite teleported away with Zoicite in a wave of energy.

"Be on guard." Jedite called. The scouts drew themselves into a circle to look out for ambushes, but no attacks came.

"Look!" Venus called, and pointed towards Darien's body. Jedite could only watch as it enveloped itself in dark energy, and disappeared from sight.

"_They're taking Darien? What on earth for?" _It didn't make sense, and that meant Beryl knew something Jedite didn't. It was those uncertainties that factored into victory most of all. Living secretly among the scouts made Jedite more than aware of that fact.

"Come on, we should get going." Jedite rallied. "We'll have to carry Serena."

"You're the tallest, Jedite, it'd be easiest with you." Mercury answered. Jedite acknowledged, and bent down so Jupiter and Venus could help position her.

"And so you don't do something like try to go get Darien back on your own." Mercury finished once Sailor Moon was secure on his back. And he laughed to himself, those Scouts were getting smarter and stronger all the time. This was the winning side, crystal or not.

* * *

"Well, you two have certainly outdone yourselves this time." Queen Beryl could barely contain her fury as she looked at her two subordinates standing before her. Neither Jedite nor Nephrite failed this badly. Sailor Moon, the sworn enemy, had the Imperium Silver Crystal in her possession. As soon as she could fully utilize its power, that was it, Metallia, Beryl, and all of their plans would be annihilated just as they were during the Silver Millenium.

And to make matters even worse, Zoicite, despite Beryl's explicit orders, severely wounded Tuxedo Mask. It took a great amount of energy to merely stabilize him, let alone heal the injuries he had sustained.

"Explain yourself, Malachite." She could start with Malachite. She needed to calm down first.

"We can get the crystal back, Majesty. Sailor Moon is but a child, and just came into the power of the crystal. She'll have no idea how to use it." Malachite was determined, and spoke ably. Even when things looked difficult, he never lost his focus.

It wasn't Malachite she was angry with anyway, but the fool standing next to him.

"And what about you, Zoicite?" Beryl asked, although nothing he'd say could change her mind. True enough, Zoicite started talking about Tuxedo Mask resisting, and needing to make sure he was subdued. As if that could explain dropping a fireball down an elevator shaft.

Beryl had enough, and was about to finish the job the Imperium Crystal started. Her staff was ready, one move and she could annihilate this pathetic failure.

But she didn't. Beryl's mind flashed just before she started. This was how Jedite left, and things had not gotten easier for her side since his departure. Nephrite acted suspicious, Zoicite was an abyssmal failure, and even Malachite was beginning to disappoint her. All because she ordered the death of her own minion. While Zoicite would die, he was close to Malachite, and Malachite was already unhinged due to the failure of losing the crystal. It could push him over the edge. Jedite was already a traitor and Nephrite seemed ready to jump ship before he died. She could not lose another able man, certainly not a powerful one like Malachite. She thought nothing of Jedite when he served under her, but now he was a genuine threat to her mission. If Malachite defected, it would be all over.

But she couldn't keep Zoicite in command. If only there was a way for Zoicite to be eliminated without relying on her own methods.

"I'll give you another chance, Zoicite." Beryl smiled. "If you seek to redeem yourself in my favor, go and eliminate Jedite at once. We lost the crystal because that traitor tipped the balance with his inside knowledge. Reduce the least of the Shitennou to ash, Zoicite. I don't care how you do it, but kill him. And if you fail, do not return." Beryl replied. Now, if Zoicite killed Jedite, Beryl would have that problem dealt with, and Zoicite could be regulate to off-duty assignments "as a reward for service." If Jedite killed him, then nothing more could beholden Malachite to her cause.

"I'll...kill that weakling!" And Zoicite teleported away. Beryl stood up.

"You, Malachite, obtain the Silver Crystal." Beryl ordered before standing from her throne. She had work to do with the prize she had claimed. Darien Shields, the reincarnation of Prince Endymion, was stable, but he had memories of a human life, and, potentially, ones of his former self, who loved the Moon Princess. Not Beryl.

He needed to be disposed of those.


	107. The Wounded Rat

"Zoicite!" Malachite managed to stop his lover before he left for his mission. There was a whole lot he didn't like about Beryl's orders: Zoicite needed to recover his energy and rest before he was ready to face Jedite. Least of the Shitennou though he was, he was not injured by the Imperium Silver Crystal, and that was strong enough to deal with Queen Metallia, a being even Malachite was powerless before.

"Malachite!" Zoicite seemed quite enchanted, even with his injuries, to see Malachite had come for him before he left.

"Zoicite, please, let us go together to deal with Jedite. There will still be time to collect the crystal." Malachite insisted.

"Beryl will be watching, she always does." Zoicite returned, and Malachite knew it rung true: She had watched before, and knew Zoicite had injured Tuxedo Mask. While Malachite didn't come out and say it, he disapproved of both Zoicite and Beryl: Disobeying Beryl caused no end of problems, but capturing this Darien fellow alive seemed like a truly wasteful endeavor. What was Queen Beryl up to?

"And I will deal with Jedite," Zoicite affirmed. "You can trust me, love."

"I do." Malachite returned, but even he had to admit Jedite had gained in strength, not lost it, since he became a traitor. This would not be an easy battle, Zoicite could even be killed. And no matter how much revenge Malachite took, it would never bring Zoicite back. He couldn't have that.

"Just concentrate on the crystal." Zoicite encouraged. "I will handle the traitor, you will handle that. And once we have it, we could deal with our silly Queen as it pleases us. That's what we'll have. Time for us." Zoicite touched Malachite's cheek, and, while Malachite didn't feel any better about the mission, he knew he had to trust his lover, his subordinate. Zoicite was strong, and became more ferocious when backed into a corner. Jedite was a detached man, with stunted emotions. He could never truly harness it's power without flying into a rage, which made him stupid. Zoicite knew how to harness rage and hunger for power. Zoicite could win this battle.

* * *

Still carrying the unconscious Sailor Moon on his back, Jedite walked with the other Sailor Scouts. The exit they had come in had collapsed, so they needed to find another way they could get out of here, whether through stealth, force, or otherwise.

While Jedite could teleport out on his own, that would be very unwise to leave the Scouts here. They had the Imperium Silver Crystal now, and Beryl would not give up merely because it had formed. She'd try to get it in any way possible, so until Beryl was gone, Jedite needed to be on his guard at all times. He had revealed his identity as Harvey Sigurd to Zoicite, so it could very well be that he needed a new place in which to hide. He hoped not, he liked his apartment, and his job. Perhaps it was a little silly, but a life as Harvey Sigurd meant Jedite could fight without fear, for he could detach everything about himself in battle, and leave only himself.

But even if it was the case, they had the crystal, and, once Serena was conscious, Luna could tell them how it worked. Sailor Moon could use it's power, destroy Queen Metallia, and that would be it. Victory, no more world-destroying. It was a little odd to think about. Once that was over, what did that mean for him? A normal life as an actor, no moonlighting as a superhero? That idea had some merit. Maybe he could see more of this world.

"Mercury, are you getting any readings?" Jedite asked. He couldn't feel out energy to find a way out, so he had to rely on Mercury's pathfinding.

"I'm still plotting." Mercury replied.

"We can switch, if need be. I can hold her." Jupiter offered.

"No, that's not a problem." Jedite returned. "But thank you. We need to get her out of here, or at least wake her up.

"Mmmmm." Jedite could feel Sailor Moon stirring behind, gripping his arms tightly. "Tux..e..do." Her voice then began to trail off.

"I'm afraid it's only me." Jedite returned sarcastically.

"Huh?" He could feel Sailor Moon move again, and Jedite put her down, with Sailor Mars and Venus prying her off.

"Welcome back." Sailor Venus said kindly.

"Where are we?" Sailor Moon asked groggily.

"Still in the bad guys's lair. You've been out for fifteen minutes. Do you remember anything?" Mars asked.

"Uhhh..."

"You're the Moon Princess." Luna strode over began to talk. "The Imperium Silver Crystal formed from the Rainbow Crystals. It's on your wand." Sailor Moon pulled out the wand, and Jedite could, for the first time, get a good look at the crystal. He could still feel its power, and it still made the hairs on his arms stand on end. The crystal itself was a perfect sphere, and beautiful, but didn't look like much. But, if his time with the Sailor Scouts taught him anything, it was that looks were hardly the be all and end all of anything.

"Tuxedo Mask! Darien, where is he!" Sailor Moon seemed to remember where her priorities lie, and grabbed Raye by her collar, pleading with her. Raye could only look sadly and avert her gaze.

"Jedite! Where'd he go?" Serena turned to him.

"I don't know." Jedite answered.

"Don't baby me!" She ordered.

"I'm not, I really don't know. Malachite teleported his body away."

"Why?" Sailor Moon cried.

"I don't claim to understand it, I'm just telling you what I saw. Probably back to the base." Jedite returned. He left out the fact that Tuxedo Mask's injuries were extremely severe. She didn't need to be disturbed anymore than she was already.

"Anyway, that's something we can deal with as it comes. We have the crystal now. Of course, you only lasted as the Moon Princess for less than a minute before it faded, I think we're gonna need to last longer than that."

"Moon Princess, why is it all on my shoulders. I'm just a girl! Not some hero, and now we lost Darien too. I don't want to be the Moon Princess!"

"What happened to the girl who stood up to me with the Rainbow Crystals?" Jedite returned. "We don't have time to get depressed."

"How can you be so cold? Darien was your best friend, and you don't care at all." Sailor Moon accused.

"Serena!" Sailor Mars immediately rallied to his defense. "That's going way too far!" She stepped angrily between them. Sailor Moon then began to cry.

Sailor Mars didn't waste time, and instead, slapped Sailor Moon straight across the face.

"Listen, Serena, and listen good. We lost Darien today, but acting recklessly and sad isn't going to help him, us, or the world." Mars delivered.

"There's nothing we can do about Darien right now. We can only do what we have to, and that's beat Queen Beryl. They took Darien with them, clearly they want him alive for something. He's safe, for now." Jedite returned. Sailor Moon sniffed a little on the ground, and then stood up. She looked at the crystal in her hand.

"Wow, you two are a total tag team." Venus complimented.

"Lots of practice." Mars returned. "Jedite's already used to fighting her, and me, well, that's a long story." She teased, and Jedite laughed.

"All right, I think I've got a plan!" Mercury announced, and began to lead the group down twisty corridors. Jedite wasn't sure if it was the right way, but he trusted Mercury. She knew what she was doing.

After a few minutes of walking, Jedite began to feel something.

"Wait." He called, and everyone stopped. He could feel something, a shimmer of energy. A dark presence wholly familiar.

"What is it?" Jupiter asked.

"It's Zoicite." Jedite replied.

"Here?" Mars asked. "But...he took that blast from the crystal. He could barely stand."

"You think that matters to Beryl?" Jedite returned. He waited for a moment, to feel the strange energy.

"He's calling me. An obvious trail."

"A trap." Mars answered. "We know how he works."

"Probably, but I know his tricks well. I'll handle this, you guys stay together. It's time to settle this for good."


	108. Ignoble

"Do you think we should follow him?" Sailor Mars asked when Jedite walked away into the darkness. It was not faith she lacked in Jedite's ability, but she always worried whenever he did such things on his own. Zoicite was a crafty one, and Tuxedo Mask, who previously had a lot of power, fell to him.

While Jedite knew significantly more of the wily man's tricks, that did not mean he was invulnerable.

"I think he can handle it." Venus replied. "We need to make sure our Princess is safe now."

"Venus has the right of it." Her cat, Artemis, chimed in. "From what I've seen and heard of that Zoicite fellow, he prefers to use traps and ambushes. It's better to send one person after him then risk losing our Princess to one of those. And with that, it's better to send someone who knows him well enough to avoid them."

Mars had to accept that, although she didn't like it. Although that's exactly what Jedite would say anyway, she could even imagine him saying it.

Mars shook her head. Jedite was fine, he'd be fine. Stop thinking like he was dead.

"You should apologize when you see him again." Mars instructed her leader, who could only nod silently. Jedite may have been a bit emotionally blunt, but he and Darien were friends, and her outburst was uncalled for.

"Let's keep moving." Mercury instructed. "We'll meet back at his apartment and everything will be fine." She began to lead on, and Mars took second. Sailor Moon would be in the middle to prevent any ambushes, and Venus then Jupiter took the rear.

Everything was uneventful for a while the Scouts walked, but eventually, the hallways and twisting corridors gave way to a large, open room.

Standing in the middle of that room was someone Sailor Mars could remember from before. A tall, silver haired man dressed in the same clothes as the other generals, the Shitennou Jedite had mentioned was their official name.

This was the one named Malachite, the one who trapped them in that dome. The one who betrayed Jedite. Mars growled as she stood her ground.

"Welcome." Malachite's voice was placid and level. "You have done well to make it this far, but it is over now. You will surrender the Imperium Silver Crystal to me immediately."

"Not a chance!" Sailor Jupiter stepped forward. "Jupiter Thunder Crash!" She immediately attacked Malachite directly. Very calmly, Malachite put his hand forward and blocked the attack.

"And you're supposed to be the strong one? Whatever gave the others pause with you?" Malachite taunted, and returned with a wave of his own. The girls scattered.

Malachite was no pushover, Jedite never lied about that. But that didn't make Mars want to run away. She wanted to fight more than ever.

* * *

Jedite kept his pace following Zoicite's energy, and found him right back where he had fought Darien, back where Serena turned into the Moon Princess.

"I can't help but wonder, are you feeling nostaglic, or do you hope it will slip me up?" Jedite asked. Zoicite was leaning against a wall. Could he still not stand properly? What on Earth was his plan now.

He said nothing, and only giggled.

"You think this is funny?" Jedite asked. "Everything's that happened. I'm surprised you're not dead. Beryl must be getting desperate to hold her followers."

"I have but one charge to my name. Eliminating you." Zoicite returned. Quickly, Jedite teleported away from his standing spot to a new place a few feet to his left. Just in time to avoid a crystal that would have whittled straight into his back. Just like Darien.

"You think I don't know your tricks?" Jedite returned. "And you can't even stand." Jedite retaliated by telekinetically grabbing the crystal from Zoicite's ambush in mid-air, then hurtling it towards him with as much force as he could muster. Zoicite attempted to deflect it with telekinesis, but, whether it was due to Zoicite's injuries from the crystal, Jedite's strength, or both, it couldn't veer off enough, and cut a large gash across Zoicite's cheek.

"One task, huh? That seems familiar. It's what Beryl did to me before she tried to have me killed."

"And now I'm here to finish the job." Zoicite returned.

"It sounds to me like Beryl signed your death warrant." Jedite shrugged.

"I've heard enough of you! Zoi!" Zoicite attacked with his rose petals, and Jedite calmly blocked them. He was far weaker than he'd ever been. Jedite could stride forward and calmly block with telekinesis. Even before, he never used telekinesis while moving, it made it weaker. But this was nothing to him now.

Zoicite however, did not seem pleased. He stretched out his hand and materialized a sword, a basic long blade Jedite had seen several times before. Zoicite wouldn't try an ambush in close combat, maneuvering was too tight, ran too much of a risk of it hitting himself in an accident.

"I will end you!" Zoicite shouted. "Your death will be my return to greatness!"

That would work in his favor. Jedite materialized a sword in his own hands.

"You're insane if you think killing me will redeem you." Jedite answered. And there was no more conversation, just the clashing of blades, the ring of metal against metal. Swordsmanship wasn't Jedite's strong point, but it wasn't Zoicite's either: Nephrite was the one who preferred such things. Jedite had to rely upon his own thinking and strategy here to negate Zoicite's penchant for traps.

Zoicite wasn't fighting very well, and Jedite kept the pressure on. He could not give Zoicite a chance to rest, to catch his breath and gather his energy. He had to keep on the offensive.

Zoicite attempted a low kick to Jedite's shin, which upset his balance. Zoicite quickly moved to the offensive by lunging forward, clashing his blade against Jedite's. The force knocked Jedite to the ground. Bracing himself with his other arm from the ground, he was almost in a reclining position as he pushed against Zoicite's blade, trying to shove the man backward.

"Look at you." Zoicite taunted. "Fallen from grace, hiding like an animal. You disgust me."

"Choices disappear quickly when you lose the luxuries of time and safety." And Jedite laughed.

"Harvey Sigurd, a simple actor using his looks to get ahead and be loved by a crowd of idiotic cattle called humans." Zoicite insulted. "Look at the comparison. Your looks got you the respect of humans but nothing here."

"It took more than looks to get where I am, or where I was under Beryl. You, though, Zoicite, you're pathetic. You need to scheme against Nephrite to gain his position rather than succeed on your own, and now that you've fallen, the only choice you can see is chasing a futile lie, and it will only lead to an ignoble death. Beryl's memory is long, and does not forgive failure. I'm the proof of that."

"You will not sway me, failure. Maybe Nephrite could be suckered by that stupid girl and your words but you will submit to my power!" Zoicite screeched.

"There's nothing in you." Jedite acknowledged. He wasn't attempting to save Zoicite with his words like Nephrite, and this made it clear. Zoicite was nothing more than his rage and lust for power. And Jedite lunged forward, off the ground, using his telekinesis to charge forward just so slightly.

But he felt his sword slip, slip past Zoicite's guard, and straight into the smaller general's abdomen.

'Hrrkk!" Zoicite let out a gasp, and coughed a little blood. Jedite surprised himself with that attack, and stepped back, letting go of his sword. Straight into his stomach. Invariably, but not immediately fatal. Zoicite would trouble them no more soon enough.

Zoicite fell to his knees, and Jedite turned around. There was nothing Jedite could do for him even if he wanted to. He needed to get back to the Scouts.

"What do you hope to gain?" Zoicite called out.

"An answer you will never understand." Jedite did not turn around to look at Zoicite. "I've gained plenty already."

And Zoicite bagan to laugh, but the sound was different with the blood filling his lungs.

"Gained? Harvey Sigurd, an actor. A traitor pretending to be a human. You have nothing, and have had it since you left. Do you think the humans would accept your green blood, your telekinesis? They're a tribe of xenophobes and you know that. No one will ever accept you again, Jedite. I think...I think this is your punishment for your betrayal, to live an empty shell." And Jedite would hear no more. He almost dashed back to twist the sword painfully from Zoicite's wound and behead the monster to eradicate him forever.

It was only that the words had the ring of truth that stayed his hand.


	109. Escape

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Jupiter was wasting no time with this battle, she charged headlong into the fray with Malachite. But Malachite didn't seem too fazed as he effortlessly blocked her thunder attacks.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Sailor Venus wasted no more time after that and followed suite. Again, Malachite blocked the attack with ease.

Sailor Mercury frowned. Jedite had always told them that Malachite was the strongest of the generals, stronger than him by far. But even knowing that couldn't have prepared for this. Even Jedite or Zoicite had to evade or dodge the attacks, which led to staggering, and properly timed executions. Malachite, however, moved as if he was shielding his eyes from the sun. He wasn't fazed at all.

"My patience has its limits." Malachite, with neither fury nor anger, calmly stretched his right hand to the side, and created a sphere of dark energy at his fingertips. Just as effortlessly as he blocked the attacks of the Scouts, he threw the ball towards them. It intercepted with Jupiter, but it was large enough to hit Venus as well.

"Agh!" They both screamed in incredible pain and collapsed to the ground.

"Oh no!" Mars shouted.

"That took no time whatsoever." Malachite marveled. "If I had known it would be this simple, I would have requested it earlier and been on my merry way. Perhaps much of these problems could have been prevented."

"Prevent this! Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars wasted no time.

"Certainly." Malachite smiled, and blocked her attack just as easily as he blocked the other girls's attacks, catching the attack in his hands as if it were a baseball.

"You certainly are a fiery one. Let us see if you like fire as much as you throw it." Malachite pitched her fireball straight back at her, landing on the ground straight right beneath her feet. It exploded and seared, and soon Mars collapsed to the ground beside the other Sailor Scouts.

"Sailor Mars!" Sailor Mercury called out.

"You're the smart one, aren't you?" Malachite called out to Sailor Mercury, who drew herself into a defensive position. She didn't answer him.

"If you're so smart, hand over the crystal and perhaps there may be a place for you." Malachite offered.

"Don't be a fool, I'd never accept anything you'd offer. Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury firmly retaliated, but Malachite was unfazed.

"Choose a foolish death, if you prefer. It shan't matter in the end." Malachite sneered and attacked Sailor Mercury with a ball of dark energy. She had nothing left but her own body, but she'd use that to defend her princess. Even seeing the attack thrown couldn't prepare Mercury for the unbelievable pain it caused, and she screamed as it felt like every pore in her body had a knife shoved through it. Eventually, she could no longer feel her legs, and fell down.

"You guys!" Sailor Moon cried out.

"Hand over the crystal, I've no time for games. Hand it over or I take it from your corpse." Malachite ordered.

Mercury tried to stand as best as she could, but the pain was unbearable. She tried to blot it out, tried to stand. The Princess needed her. She could see the others trying to struggle. They needed to help, somehow. But it was a thought only, dashed by the reality of Mercury falling unconscious to the ground.

* * *

Malachite wasn't sure if he should laugh or despair when he saw how pathetically easy the Sailor Scouts fell before him like flies. Zoicite had trouble with them? It must have been his tactics, perhaps he was too confused by Jedite and Nephrite's feeble attempts and tried to be subversive when he should have been direct.

It mattered not, now. Malachite could lie and say it was a challenge, Beryl would be okay with that as long as the prize was secured. And then, with Jedite slain by Zoicite, the battles would be over. It may take some time for Queen Metallia to fully realize the great power of the crystal, but she would, and the universe would be over. That would be it. Whatever Beryl's stupid plan was with Tuxedo Mask was would be irrelevant. Perhaps she merely wanted a prize from the human world. That Darien was a handsome man, but looks mattered less to Malachite than did cunning and the will to succeed. It was those Zoicite had in abundance.

Sailor Moon was the only one left standing, and she pulled out the Imperium Silver Crystal. Even knowing he would take it from this girl, Malachite had to be in respect of the fact that the crystal's power could be wielded by her. These Scouts may have been nothings, but this woman was someone to watch.

"Hand it over." Malachite ordered.

"No." Sailor Moon gripped the wand. "You let us go and I won't use it on you!"

"Very bold. But impossible. I'll take it one way or another." Malachite prepared another one of his energy attacks. It decimated the Sailor Scouts with little effort, and this Sailor Moon, while the Imperium Crystal she may have, it did not grant her fortitude.

"Cosmic Moon Power!" Sailor Moon gripped the wand very tightly and the crystal embedded inside began to glow. Quickly, Malachite threw his attack, hoping to intercept her before her power was realized. Bright rays of pink began to flutter around Sailor Moon, and as the dark energy came into contact with it, it dissipated around her, leaving the woman unharmed.

"Impressive! But do you think that's all I have?" Malachite dared, and prepared to launch another attack.

Before he threw it however, he could feel something. An energy source in this tower, a dark energy not his own. Getting weaker, and fading fast. He stopped his attack to feel the energy a little more. Was Jedite slain already?

"No." He said aloud. That wasn't Jedite's energy getting weaker. It was Zoicite's! He knew his lover's energy very well. What had happened?

"Zoicite!" Malachite shouted. Forget Sailor Moon for a moment. She'd be wandering these corridors with unconscious Sailor Scouts. She could wait until he got back.

* * *

One minute, Malachite, that strong general was about ready to attack her, and the next minute, he was gone.

"What?" Sailor Moon was surprised. She was psyched up and ready to use the crystal on him, and now he completely disappeared without an explanation or anything. Or rather, Serena thought she heard him say something, but didn't catch it before he vanished.

She took a deep breath. That crystal really did make her tired, as if she'd been up for two days.

She checked on the Scouts. They were conscious, and groaning in pain, but they seemed to be okay. That was good. She could never let the others fall because of her. She was supposed to protect them, as their leader.

"Are you guys all right?" Sailor Moon called. She wanted to hear their voices.

"I'll be fine, man, that guy's their most powerful warrior." Sailor Mercury managed to get to her feet first.

"Jedite wasn't kidding about him." Sailor Mars got up next.

"Wonder where he went, do they always do that?" Venus asked.

"Yeah, no gumption for a straight fight." Jupiter complained. "But we need to get a lot stronger to go toe to toe with that guy."

"That's an understatement. That hurt a lot." Mars replied. "But being around the crystal makes me feel better. Better enough to get moving."

"I agree, let's go quickly." Mercury resumed her pathfinding, and tried to find an exit. They moved uninterrupted for several minutes, with only the gentle typing of Mercury's microcomputer. Eventually, Sailor Moon began to hear birds, see sunlight on the ground. Had it been that long, it was day already? She ran forward into the light, and could feel the wind on her face. Never before had the wind felt so good.

"Finally, outside." Venus smiled. "I love sunrises, but never thought this one would look so good." She smiled. "Kinda silly, huh?"

"If silly makes us win, I'm all for it." A male voice sounded behind the scouts, and Serena turned quickly, hoping it was Darien somehow.

But it was Jedite, leaned against the wall. He was alone, no Darien in sight. Serena was relieved to see Jedite was fine, but unfortunately, they still didn't have Darien.

"You all right?" Sailor Mars asked.

"You guys look in worse shape than me." Jedite answered. "Few scrapes, nothing serious."

"And Zoicite?" Jupiter asked.

"He's dead." Jedite delivered, his gaze averting slightly. Was he disappointed? Serena didn't like the whole killing aspect of what she did, but Jedite never seemed to be bothered by getting rid of youma. Nephrite's death bothered Jedite because it made him think he was a failure, but Zoicite had few, if any, redeeming characteristics.

But the look in Jedite's face belabored a hidden darkness in his eyes. He smiled when he saw the scouts again. But Serena was certain he was lying.


	110. Distractions

When Malachite teleported up to where he felt Zoicite's energy, it was far too late. Jedite was nowhere to be seen, and all that was left was Zoicite, lying on the ground, bleeding out of a stab wound in his stomach.

"Zoicite!" Genuine worry flooded Malachite as he crouched toward his lover. The wound was fatal, although Zoicite was not dead yet. His body would have decayed if that was the case.

"Ma...lachite." Zoicite's eyes fluttered open in response to Malachite's voice. His eyes looked at Malachite sadly.

"I'm here, my love." Malachite said soothingly. Gone was Zoicite's rage and fire, the things that attracted Malachite first to him. It was almost like looking at a different person.

"Did Jedite do this to you? He won't survive long!" Malachite growled in fury. Zoicite opened his mouth as if trying to speak, but no words formed.

"What is it?" Malachite asked.

"Jedite...he..." Zoicite's voice was barely above a whisper.

"What is it, love? What about Jedite?" Perhaps Zoicite had a clue that would make him able to discern Jedite's identity: Malachite still didn't know where to find him, and if there was one thing he knew how to do, it was hide.

"Har..." He started, but his voice wouldn't sound out the complete words. Malachite took Zoicite into his arms one last time as he could feel the last of his lover's energy dissipate. And Zoicite's body faded with his energy, and all that was left was a single petal, a cherry blossom petal, Zoicite's favorite, which delicately floated away in the wind.

"_I will never forget you, Zoicite." _Malachite's lingered in sorrow for a moment, but knew that swift vengeance would be what Zoicite would appreciate best. The pain Malachite would inflict upon Jedite would be pure and unimaginable. A thousand times would Jedite beg for the release of death before Malachite brought it to him.

It was too bad that Zoicite didn't mention anything about where Jedite might be hiding, but Malachite could figure that out on his own. Queen Beryl had her prize, whatever she wanted the human for. However, Malachite knew better than to rush off and try and find him. Strength may not have been Jedite's strongpoint, but he was a very tactful and precise individual. He'd go to ground if Malachite attempted to find him with brute force, and all that would happen to Malachite is walking straight into an ambush.

Besides, Queen Beryl had been expressly displeased with him since Sailor Moon obtained the Silver Crystal. Taking things into his own hands, even if it was about Jedite, could cause Beryl to lose her patience. The two were equals when it came to strength, but the youma followed Beryl before anyone, and Queen Metallia could grant Beryl power to make all the difference in a battle.

He teleported back to his base. He could not stand to be around this place anymore. His plans, and Zoicite's plans, had gone up in a brilliant blast of the crystal that was brought on by a traitor.

Of all the possible futures Malachite saw for himself, this was one he could never have divined.

* * *

After the battle was over, no one was really in a cheerful mood. Perhaps the shock of the revelations had stunned the Scouts, but Jedite was definitely in no celebrating mood. He teleported back to his apartment.

It was really quiet and still. It normally was, Jedite was not much for rambunctious behavior, so this place was always very neat, tidy, and quiet. Suitable for contemplation, something Jedite did a lot of, but now, something he didn't want to do at all.

He flipped on his television, just to have some background noise. But it didn't help, the events of today were fresh in his mind, and they stung. Or rather, only one of them stung, but it stung deeply: The loss of Darien.

Jedite never suspected anything of Darien. His energy was strong, but so were many other normal humans, like Molly. He was a friend, so Jedite thought. A normal, everyday human, the ones he used to look on with disdain, but eventually came to tolerate and later, accept. While Sailor Moon and the Scouts helped, it was Darien, more than anyone, who really helped Jedite learn to live his life as a human.

And as it turned out, Darien too was caught up in Negaverse business. And as Tuxedo Mask, the man Jedite had tried to kill on numerous occasions. Even if Darien was saved from Beryl, and the world saved, how on Earth could Jedite look Darien in the face again as a friend? They'd been lying to each other the whole time.

"_Well, maybe not so much lied as did not clarify. Not that the justification matters." _Jedite tried to reassure himself internally, but quickly failed.

Jedite still had the key to Darien's apartment, the key Darien had lent him so that Jedite could feed his fish while he "went to the hospital." He had actually gone to battle Zoicite, and that ended up going spectacularly. Darien had been injured, and Jedite knew that if the Sailor Scouts were sick or injured in their human forms, it carried over to their Sailor forms. There was no reason why Darien shouldn't have been the same way.

"_You idiot." _Jedite thought. Fighting Zoicite with an injury? How many times had he been in battle with that ruthless psychopath? And ambushes? Zoicite sprung ambushes like Serena sprang to gorge herself on cake, it was just common sense to expect those. A crystal right in the back should've been seen coming.

Trying to deflect didn't help either, and Jedite grabbed the key and walked to Darien's door. He unlocked it and pushed his away inside. Part of him expected to find Darien sitting at his couch, quietly reading or writing one of his many medical papers. But this apartment was as quiet and silent as Jedite's.

Jedite sighed as he went to feed the fish. Luckily, Darien had written instructions for Jedite to follow on the proper feeding of the creatures. Focusing on this helped, and Jedite had work tomorrow. That might help a little. Nothing else seemed to be working.

* * *

Queen Beryl was patiently watching as Darien Shields, the reincarnation of her Prince Endymion, was slowly having his memories erased under Queen Metallia's power. Such a task was not something done quickly, else it was done incorrectly. And this was worth doing correctly.

She heard a whoosh of energy behind her, and knew Malachite had returned.

"What news?" She asked, not looking towards him, but at her still unconscious Darien.

"Zoicite has fallen against Jedite." Malachite replied. So she expected: Zoicite wouldn't have lasted long in his condition in a fight. Truly though, even were Zoicite at his full strength and the Silver Crystal never appeared, a battle between the two of them would have ended with Jedite's victory. Beryl could feel the power in her former subordinate during the battles, and knew that he had gotten much stronger, more daring, more focused, ever since he had left. Zoicite was unchallenged, evaded his battles and relied upon the Seven Great Youma to do his work, while Jedite fought and struggled in his fights. Strength was born at such conflicts, critical moments. Zoicite was merely amused, Jedite's only goal was survival.

But this knowledge, Beryl kept secret from Malachite. His loyalty would waver if he knew what Beryl had ordered. With all of her subordinates, they came to doubt, and it was that doubt which caused them to fail. Beryl couldn't have that anymore, at such a critical juncture. She needed to play all of her cards correctly.

Just like the card about Jedite's real identity. Beryl had been watching Zoicite during the battle. He had watched Zoicite drop a fireball down an elevator shaft, and watched a shard of crystal from an ambush near-fatally wound Darien. But between that, Beryl was still watching, and watched as a rather handsome actor Zoicite called Harvey Sigurd mouth off disrespectfully. A little later, Beryl had watched the actor's appearance change into that of Jedite.

Silently, Beryl gave Jedite credit. She never would have guessed it. If Malachite knew this, he would have been out there trying to wipe him from the face of the Earth. Whatever strength Jedite gained, it was not enough for a straight battle with Malachite, Beryl knew for a fact.

But rage made one stupid, and Jedite could very easily escape, disappear yet again, and find another life. Get stronger, eventually strong enough to defeat Malachite. Malachite wouldn't be able to track him down that easily.

So Beryl would not allow Jedite to be found out by Malachite. But there were other ways she could get her revenge on her former subordinate. Subtler methods, things to put him off his guard. He'd either be distracted during a fight and Malachite could have his revenge, or it would break him to the point where Jedite saw no alternative but to take his own life. Either way, Beryl was satisfied.

Queen Beryl had her own personal retinue of youma, and she had time until Darien's brainwashing was complete. She dismissed Malachite, and then she began to brainstorm a plot all her own.


	111. Mild Chaos

"I'm a little worried about Serena." Luna had called a Scout meeting over at the Hikawa Shrine. But she called it without Serena, and with good reason. It had only been one day since the identity of the Moon Princess was revealed, and the Imperium Silver Crystal firmly in control of the Sailor Scouts, but Serena herself was falling apart, and could barely function.

When she shared this with the Scouts, Amy, who shared class with her, was quick to affirm this.

"It's not easy to have something like this put upon you, but we have to hold firm. Simply having the crystal doesn't guarantee a victory."

"Leave her alone, guys." Raye, to everyone's surprise, was the one rallying to Serena's defense first. "It's a lot to handle."

"I certainly wasn't expecting all of this to happen. I always thought the Moon Princess would be someone different." Amy remarked.

"We should look on the bright side." Lita resolved. "We have the crystal, we're all safe, Zoicite's gone, too. We just need to keep at it as we've been going and we'll do fine. I'm sure Serena will feel that way too, not a lot keeps her down."

"But what about Darien?" Raye asked, and truly, Luna had no idea. Jedite had told her of how they used human energy, but to kidnap one person like that would not be useful for such a purpose. Energy needed to be gathered from active people devoting themselves to some kind of task, pushing themselves beyond their normal limits. A kidnapping would have a target under guard, unable to do anything, exactly the opposite of what was needed.

"Tuxedo Mask." Amy shrugged. "I never would have thought he'd be Darien."

"Raye, are you all right?" Lita asked. "I know things were rough between you two, but Darien was your boyfriend."

"I'm fine." Raye shrugged, but Luna didn't believe her.

"Well, I guess fine isn't the right word, but between both Serena and Jedite, I really don't think I have the right to complain. Serena crushed on Tuxedo Mask like no one's business, and Darien was Jedite's best friend. They can't be taking this well."

"Have you gone to see him?" Mina asked.

"He didn't answer. With teleportation and all, Jedite can disappear when he wants to." Raye returned.

"That's too bad. Times like these, it's good to have friends around."

"Let him be." Raye returned. "He might be an actor, but he's really shy about that stuff. I doubt he even gets it half the time."

"You're kinda protective." Mina cocked her head and looked at Raye quizzically.

"Protective?" Raye retracted. "I don't know what you mean. You just haven't spent a lot of time around him, he's not like most people." Luna thought Raye answered far too quickly, but kept her own mouth shut. Jedite was older and more experienced than Serena, human or not. He'd also been through a lot of trying circumstances, certainly more than Serena. It would be more prudent to help the more-easily available and younger Serena first, and move to Jedite later.

"Hmmm...I'm gonna call it an early day." Mina stood up. "Like they always say the early bird gets the grease!"

"That's the worm, Mina!" Lita called out after her, but Mina had already descended the stairs.

"Mina definitely doesn't lack for energy." Amy chuckled. "You think she's going to see Serena, or Jedite?" Luna figured she was heading out to cheer everyone else up herself, but didn't want to take a guess on who. It really could be either of them, but she hoped it would work, regardless. They could really use it.

* * *

"Wow, Jed, you're really getting into things tonight." Saffron praised, but Jedite could barely register the compliment. Work focused him, made him feel like he was Harvey Sigurd, and not the guy who recently had his best friend kidnaped right in front of him. He stopped him from screaming or flying into a rage.

It would pass, and eventually the calm would return, and then, they could plan on rescuing Darien. For now, Jedite had the blot the thoughts out anyway he can. Becoming another person was the best way.

"Anyway, Jed, do you remember those contest winners? We're gonna bring them here in a few weeks. Our mid-season break is going to be a two-parter, and we'll probably use two or three of them. Which one did you like?" Saffron asked.

"Hmmm...that blonde schoolgirl was fun." Jedite knew how much the acting gig would mean to Mina. Even not knowing her for very long, she wore her heart on her sleeve, and was completely guileless.

"I liked her too. I'll pass that along to Director Abernathy. But for now, it's the Shikoku Storm in an interrogation scene. I love it when you do these." Saffron smiled. "Let's shoot a masterpiece!" It took a few minutes for the bit actors and the scene to get set up, but once everyone in place, and "Action!" was called, Jedite knew he'd be ready.

But in those few minutes of silence, he remembered the battle. He remembered Darien injured so badly, lying unconscious, bleeding on the floor. He remembered how Malachite snatched him away with no effort. And Zoicite's final words, reminding him that no matter how much of a success Harvey Sigurd was, it was a success born of a lie, a lie that stated he was actually a normal man.

"Detective Flannigan. Aren't you supposed to be ten feet tall, shooting lightning from your eyes?" The scene called for a very sarcastic suspect, and the actor here was not disappointing.

"I was told you liked to talk. That's exactly the kind of man I was looking for." Jedite was supposed to respond with sarcasm of his own.

"Well, if it's a grandstanding story, aren't we gonna be pouring drinks? Cause I'm mighty parched for..."

"Don't screw with me, stoolie!" Jedite got right in the actor's face.

"Start telling me something useful, or I'll shove my fist so far down your throat I can reach through the other side and tie my shoelaces!" Jedite leaned in so far that the chair the actor was in fell to the floor.

"Cut!" Director Abernathy called. "Okay, Jed, that was a little too intense. Or way intense, I think I was kinda scared. Or a lot. Gotta rein it in a little, and we can't knock over our actors while we're doing it. Take a quick breath while we set up."

"Sorry." Jedite shrugged. He couldn't have calm, couldn't be quiet.

"Jed, you all right. You're only that scary when something bothering you?" Saffron asked. Jedite couldn't tell her anything. Even a lie, not even the one where Darien said he was at the hospital. Saffron would insist on visiting, and there was no person to show her.

So Jedite evaded, as he always did. What else could be done?

* * *

"_So this was where the traitor dwelled?" _Hecate, one of Queen Beryl's personal youma, quietly surveyed the empty living space where Jedite was said to live. It was quite attractive, nothing like the dour, serious man Hecate remembered slightly from ages ago. She supposed that's how Jedite could hide, by not acting like himself.

Hecate still brimmed with a feeling of honor and pride when the great Queen herself told her of a very important task she was to complete. The traitor, Jedite, was alive, as everyone already knew, but Queen Beryl divined his location. However, he was far too strong to engage directly, and Malachite had already failed once against Jedite, he'd fail again for certain due to his recklessness.

So Hecate was called in for a more subtle approach. She would not be engaging Jedite: She'd surely perish if that happened. Jedite shouldn't even know she was even here, if she did this right.

Beryl's instructions were crystal-clear. _"Cause havoc in Jedite's life. He'll detect you if you get too close, so everything must be secret. Make him believe he is losing his mind, have annoying things happen in his life. Let him believe that grief over his lost friend has finally taken it's toll. Make him feel loss and pain. Let him suffer and not be able to blame us." _

And so, Hecate made a little chaos in Jedite's living space. Paintings and pictures moved to other shelves, some placed face-down. Pots and pans moved inside different cabinets. Food that could spoil sitting out.

None of it was major, or would harm a man like Jedite. It wasn't supposed to. Jedite was not to believe he was robbed from, but that he did it and couldn't remember it. So no violence or destruction. Not yet, anyway.


	112. Retail Therapy

After school had ended, Serena didn't feel like going anywhere, or seeing anybody. She didn't like being alone, but it was weird enough going to school and pretending like nothing was wrong. She couldn't bear to do that around her friends. So once she got home, she collapsed in her room, staring at the ceiling for a while.

The Silver Crystal was right beside her, in her purse. To actually have it in her possession felt very weird. It saved the Moon Kingdom in ages past, used by the Queen, Serenity, the mother of Princess Serenity, of her other self. But what happened after that? If Serenity saved the Moon Kingdom with it, what happened to her? And how did the crystal break into those Rainbow Crystals.

Thinking about this, though, kept her mind off of Darien. That, in her opinion, was the harshest of the revelations. It was easy for her to understand why Darien kept his identity secret: Serena herself did the same thing. It was the fact that now, he was in the clutches of Queen Beryl. From all what Jedite told her of that woman, it was nothing pleasant, and given what she fought against as Sailor Moon, there was no reason to think anything else about her. And she could do nothing to save him.

It ate at her like no other. Sailor Moon always saved the day. Whether it was a youma to destroy or a person to save, Sailor Moon could be relied on. Until now.

"Hey!" A loud voice jarred Serena from her thoughts. Thinking it to be Sammy, she was about to unleash a string of insults to him, but was surprised to discover that she was staring face-to-face with Mina.

Serena never got a chance to talk to Mina much, it hadn't been very long since she had come to the team. Aside from acting, Serena knew little about her, but she was always upbeat and positive. That was a good sign.

"Mina? How'd you get here?" Serena asked.

"One foot in front of the other, but your mom let me in." Mina giggled just a little.

"Sorry, today's not a really good day." Serena answered.

"Sure it is." Mina was either oblivious or put on a really good face, and she looked out the window. "Beautiful day, just enough wind to rustle the hair and make us look even better than normal."

"Mina, I..."

"I know, some days are rougher than others, but that's when we turn it out better than ever. You know you need, some retail therapy!" Mina smiled cheerfully. "We could totally go for some shoes and then some crepes, and then we'll do each other's hair."

Normally, that would have worked: Serena loved shopping. But would that take her mind off of Darien?

It couldn't hurt. What she was trying wasn't working. Being around all of the girls would be hard, but just one? And if it was Mina, whom Serena didn't know very much about? She could do that.

"All right. Let me just tell my mom I'm going out."

* * *

"Malachite, have you thought of a plan for obtaining the Silver Crystal from Sailor Moon?" Queen Beryl asked of Malachite as he stood before her on her throne. In truth, Malachite hadn't dedicate very much time to such thoughts: He was thinking of how to flush out Jedite, and how to end that traitor and murderer's life beneath his boots.

But Queen Beryl would never allow such a thing, even if killing Jedite would make obtaining the Silver Crystal from Sailor Moon that much easier. Beryl needed that crystal more than anything, and would not tolerate going after Jedite instead.

"I have." Malachite answered. "Sailor Moon is a human girl when she is not fighting, and is attracted to things that would befit a human girl. This goes the same for the Sailor Scouts. My plan is to create traps to lure such human girls, and when we have many, we can attack. Either we have a host of human girls to drain energy for Queen Metallia or the brats show up."

"I'm surprised, Malachite. I was almost certain you'd create plans to go after Jedite instead." Queen Beryl did not gain her position through trickery, she could read people.

"I would like to, but our mission and Queen Metallia come first. And Jedite seems to be allies with the Sailor Scouts. He'll be drawn soon enough to one of our plans." Malachite stated, but did not believe it. It didn't have the probability of success Malachte would have wanted, and, even if he showed up, Jedite would not be in a vulnerable position like the human girls. Not that his energy could be drained like a human's, but the Sailor Scouts could fall victim to it, Jedite would never.

"Do not allow your feelings to cloud your judgment. Jedite will perish when we get the crystal, you can certain of that." Queen Beryl instructed. "And I think I want someone else to come with you on this mission."

"Another?" Malachite was perplexed. There was no need to assign youma: Malachite could make his own from the people of Earth for his plans.

"Enter." Beryl gave an instruction to an unseen individual. And, next to her throne, a person materialized. He had dark hair, black as midnight, and was dressed in full battle armor.

Malachite was surprised, for he recognized this person as Darien Shields, the man he was to procure for Beryl.

"I shall formally introduce you to Prince Endymion." Beryl stated firmly. "He will work under your charge for now, so he can be familiar with our operations. I trust there are no difficulties."

"As you command, my Queen." Prince Endymion, or Darien, whoever he was, bowed to Beryl. Malachite liked this even less: What sort of game was Beryl playing at? But Malachite knew better than to question his orders. And this was just someone watching and learning. He was no Zoicite, but perhaps he'd make a good shield and could deal with Jedite before Malachite would eliminate him while Jedite was busy. Everything had it's upside, if one knew where to look.

* * *

Jedite didn't feel any better as he arrived back into his apartment. They re-shot the scene, but somehow, Jedite felt his acting was forced today. It was a good thing, that they'd be on their mid-season break shortly. Being alone didn't relax him, but at this way, his livelihood wouldn't suffer.

Once he turned the key in the lock and opened the door, he felt like something was wrong. The painting on the wall across from the door was supposed to be a skyline, but instead, it was the street scene that normally hung on the wall next to his bedroom.

"_Huh?" _Jedite thought. He didn't redecorate anytime soon. He continued to walk into his apartment, and realized something else was amiss: The lamps in Jedite's living room were on different tables.

Jedite drew into a defensive state, and looked around. Quietly, he searched for energy, but couldn't find anything in his whole apartment. He was alone here.

"_So, why is everything moved?" _Jedite wondered. He'd heard of break-ins, but all of Jedite's things were here, just in different places. And besides, the place was locked up, there was no broken windows or forced locks.

And it wouldn't have been Queen Beryl or anyone else either: This was too timid, too slight. It served no purpose to rearrange Jedite's belongings, Beryl would simply try to have him assassinated. And there was no one here, so no assassin. Not a creature alive could disguise it's life energy, no matter what power Beryl or even Metallia could provide.

So who changed these things? Only someone who had a key. That was only Jedite. But he didn't remember doing anything like this.

Jedite tried to shake it off as he headed to the kitchen to get something to drink. He opened his cabinet for a glass, and was surprised to see the cabinet that normally held the glasses held bowls and pots.

"_What's going on?" _Jedite wondered, but had no answers. He didn't remember doing any of this, but he himself was the only one who could.

Was he going crazy?


	113. A Beautiful Rivalry

It was surprisingly easy to set up a trap in a short amount of time. From what Malachite knew of humans, particularly human women, was that they were vain creatures, who spent a lot of time on their appearance. So, it was simple enough to, from a building that was abandoned, conjure the appearance of a beauty salon. Hair steamers, dye, foils, everything to make a person feel beautiful.

Malachite scoffed. As if he or Zoicite needed such things to make themselves beautiful. These human women, though, needed all the help they could get.

Beside him, Prince Endymion, the human Beryl brainwashed, was looking at the setup and saying nothing. His face betrayed nothing, he was neither excited nor disappointed, merely indifferent.

"This will work?" Was the first thing Endymion stated.

"Certainly. If we are too obvious, Sailor Moon will be on her guard. We cannot take such chances with the Silver Crystal around."

"I still think you give her far too little credit. If she is working with the traitor, then would he not be able to sense the dark energy used to maintain this act?" Endymion asked. That was a distinct possibility: No scheme would be safe from Jedite's detection.

"And?" Malachite asked. He wanted Jedite to come, needed to eliminate him once and for all. He killed Zoicite, he deserved no mercy.

"You are supposedly the greatest of the Shitennou." Endymion returned, his eyes lowering, mouth pursing to a frown. "I am not impressed."

"I'm not here to impress you." Malachite replied.

"Evidently not."

"I will show you how this is properly done." Malachite began to ignore him. He could not get riled up, he needed to concentrate.

Malachite had already created his youma, infecting a number of hairdressers around the city with youma. It was similar to the technique Nephrite used, and indeed, Nephrite learned it from him. But Nephrite's youma only grew from the host's energy, while Malachite could overpower the host and use them as pawns. They could move as humans, be disguised as humans, but still answered to Malachite. Aside from energy, it was the only thing humans were useful for.

"All right, it looks like everything is ready." One of Malachite's youma, in her human form of a brunette woman with short hair. "We have everything we need to get started."

"I sure hope this plan relies on more than blind luck." Endymion scowled.

"Perhaps a more able demonstration of your power is needed. You overestimate Sailor Moon. Perhaps you'd fare better?"

"If you say so. I dare say though, on my first mission returning with the crystal, what will that mean for you?"

"I can handle myself. You can supervise the youma if you think you can handle it." Malachite had enough of this man already. What was Queen Beryl's fascination with him anyway? But seeing that arrogant smirk wiped off his face when Malachite claimed both the crystal and Jedite's life would be all the sweeter if it meant beating this little prick.

* * *

There was a knock on Jedite's door as he was putting all of the disorder back into place. Quickly donning his Harvey Sigurd guise, he opened the door and found that Andrew was standing outside.

"Hey, Jed!" Andrew smiled.

"Andrew!" Jedite wasn't sure if he was in the mood for company, but it was far too late for that now.

"I thought you were working today."

"I took today off. Rita was supposed to call today, and you know, time-zones. I just got off the phone with her, and I'm kinda pumped." Andrew smiled, and Jedite forced his own up.

"You redecorating or something?" Andrew asked, noticing all of the things Jedite hadn't put back in their proper place yet.

"Thinking about it." Jedite lied, the quickest lie he could muster.

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to see if you were free. I guess you're busy though. Shoulda called first, huh?"

Jedite did want to get away from his apartment, the whole place was kind of freaking him out. But if he was doing things like that, did he really want to go in public, out with a friend who could see him acting weirdly and not remember anything about acting weirdly?

It was a risk, but perhaps some time away would do him some good. Andrew was a friend, he truly was. It took Molly to get Jedite out of his funk with Nephrite, maybe Andrew would do the same with the whole Darien thing.

"Well, this isn't anything I can't do later." Jedite smiled. "Come on, let's go."

"All right!" Andrew smiled.

"I'll get my jacket." Jedite turned around towards the closet.

"Hey, you know if Darien's in? Maybe he could join us too." And that simple question made Jedite pause for the longest time.

* * *

"Wow, Mina. I knew I liked shoes, but we really did a good job with this one!" Serena cheered as she and Mina carefully stacked their boxes in preparation for their departure from the shore store.

"Whenever I have a really rough week, sometimes I like to reinvent my image, even if it's just with clothes or a new style. I feel like a new person, ready to face what's bugging me and get on with my life." Mina smiled cheerfully.

"_I wonder if Jedite's ever done something like that." _

"And the best part is, it doesn't add a single calorie." Mina giggled.

"Suit yourself, I love me some cake!" Serena returned, and the two girls laughed. And it helped. Serena hadn't gotten to know Mina very well, since they hadn't known each other very long, but she was really glad it was Mina who came to see her today. None of her two friends were alike, they were all special to her. Times to batten down and get serious were for Amy, Raye could buck her when she went to far, and Lita was solid as a rock. It was nice to know there was someone else like her who could be a little crazy sometimes.

"You know, we have been walking a lot going to stores, hauling boxes like champs. We could go for a little cake." Mina laughed.

"Mina, where have you been all my life!" Serena laughed, and the two strolled down another road. As they turned the corner, however, they began to notice a really big crowd.

"Wonder what's going on over there?" Mina asked. Serena had been down this road before, and she was pretty sure the building where the crowd was abandoned, and had been so for a while.

Maybe something had changed between now and then. They had to go down this way to Serena's favorite cake shop, why not check it out for a sec. Jedite became a famous actor that way, just by checking something out.

"Hey, it's a salon!" Mina cheered, and pointed to a very clear sign that displayed "Princess Salon"

"Wow, this sprang up pretty quickly." Serena shrugged.

"Grand opening, no wonder." Mina was reading the signs in the window, next to some display pictures of famous stars, like Saffron, Jedite's co-star.

"Hey, major promotion today. Everything is 70% off!" Mina cheered. "Serena, this is perfect. We should totally get our hair and nails done. Won't we look great when we meet the girls looking even more fabulous then normal?"

And Serena laughed. Why not? She did like being pampered at a salon, what girl didn't? It made all her troubles melt away with the hair steamers and manicures.

"Let's do it!"


	114. A Crash on a Beautiful Day

"So Jed, I haven't seen you in a while." Andrew smiled cheerfully as the two went out for coffee. "You all right?'

"I've been working a lot. We're coming up to the big cliffhanger, so it all has to be perfect." Jed answered quickly. Jed was always a bit of an enigma to Andrew. A friend of Darien's, who stayed at Raye's temple for a while, Jed was always a very serious fellow who seemed to push himself a great deal. So much that Andrew wondered if the few times they had played mahjongg or the like was a person in disguise.

"Don't push yourself too hard." Andrew reassured.

"No one else will. You've met Serena." Jed returned.

"Jed, you all right?" Andrew asked again, but with more meaning.

"Like I said, just working a lot." Jed evaded. He never did talk that much about himself, not that Andrew minded too much: That was his business, although what little he managed to glean had told Andrew that it was unpleasant for him. Bad childhood? Lots of folks that had, some more then others.

Andrew drank his coffee.

"You know, lots of people overwork themselves when something's really bothering them."

"And then there are others who work really hard because they're under contract, and need to be the best or they won't be around next season." Jed returned.

"So then, why do you seem so down?" Andrew asked. He was in a good mood recently, dropped by the arcade. But now that wasn't the case.

But Jed wouldn't answer, Andrew knew that. He just hoped one day Jed would get so frustrated he'd fall for it.

* * *

The salon was really packed, but things seemed to be running very efficiently, with many girls being serviced by many hairdressers.

"Hello!" A friendly sales associate came up to Serena and Mina.

"Yeah, my friend here's looking for a full makeover, the works." Mina smiled cheerfully.

"The whole thing?" Serena was surprised.

"Wonderful idea." The stylist quipped.

"Come on, Serena, it's been rough on you, you need to feel like a brand new you!" Mina smiled.

"Well...if you're buying." Serena replied.

"Great!" The stylist quickly ushered Serena off to get her started. And Mina smiled, Serena would really like this. And 70% off wasn't bad either. She didn't need anything right now, no need to have Serena wait on her. She needed a day, some time to herself where the world was hers for a moment.

So Mina eagerly grabbed a magazine and read for a bit. About fifteen minutes passed before a stylist came to her.

"All right, I can take you now." A different woman, but as friendly as the other associate, came over to Mina.

"Oh, I'm actually just waiting for someone." Mina politely declined.

"Aw, are you sure?" The woman asked. "You're the one who came in the girl with the balls on her head, right? You got her a full makeover, what a good friend you are."

"Thanks." Mina smiled.

"It's so rare to see a real friendship like that. At least let me give you a free hair steam while you wait for her. But shhh, our secret." The lady smiled towards Mina, and Mina shrugged. Why not, if it was free and she was waiting anyway. It was Serena's day, but that didn't mean she couldn't do things for herself as well.

* * *

"There is a lot of energy here." Endymion, from the second story of the hair salon, which was abandoned and desolate, could sense the power in the room below. There were a lot of people here, and they had energy. When it came to attraction, at least, Malachite did not disappoint. However, energy was pretty useless without the Silver Crystal. Queen Metallia had been into her full power during the Silver Millenium, and Queen Serenity was able to seal her with the crystal. Without that taken care of, gathering energy would be pointless.

"You are far too short-sighted, and think too much of Sailor Moon. She will come to the trap as a human and we will catch her before she transforms." Malachite answered. He could be right, but he probably wasn't. If Malachite could catch Sailor Moon, it would have happened already.

If he was the greatest of the Shitennou, why was their side losing? Why did Sailor Moon have the crystal. Why did the traitor, considered the weakest, be a genuine threat to their power? Endymion was no fool, there was something to their power, something that was greater than the Shitennou, and if Endymion could know it, he could counter it. But for now, Malachite was in charge, Malachite the fool.

"It is time to strike, Endymion, are you prepared?" Malachite asked.

"I can handle myself." Was all he said.

* * *

The first part of Serena's treatment was getting her hair washed.

"So, your friend is treating you to a makeover." The stylist engaged very pleasantly. "That's very nice of her."

"She sprung it on me by surprise." Serena replied. Although, from what she knew of Mina, the fact that she did decide something like this on the spur of the moment seemed accurate.

"So what are you going to get with your makeover?" The stylist asked. "Might as well do it right!"

"Yeah!" Serena cheered. This did feel good. The water for the hair wash was hot, but it felt fantastic, like all the tension was leaving as the stylist worked her magic.

"How about becoming a redhead. Really set you apart from your friend."

"Never thought of that." Serena shrugged. Molly had red hair, and Jedite did, on occasion, when he was in disguise, but not as Harvey Sigurd.

"_Poor Jedite. What's wrong with me, moping like I'm the only one who's sad. He lost his best friend. Once I'm done here, Mina and I should spring a surprise ambush on him. Does retail therapy work for guys?" _Serena thought.

And then she felt the stylist's hands remove themselves from her head. Perhaps she needed a second, so Serena stayed quiet for a moment, but she wasn't chatting or anything either. Did she walk away? That was weird. Carefully, Serena pulled the towel over her face off, and blinked in surprise as she saw that her stylist was standing motionless in front of her. Before Serena could call to her, she heard a slight hissing sound as, from the air vents came a purple gas. When the customers sniffed it, they began to faint. People were collapsing in chairs, hair steamers, wherever they were. Even boyfriends waiting for their girlfriends were falling asleep in their chairs. But the stylists seemed okay.

"Time to get to work!" The stylist who was doing Serena's hair said and walked towards the front of the shop.

This was bad, it had to be the Negaverse. Was this some energy gathering scheme.

She had to call the others. No, she still had the Silver Crystal, in her purse, right beside her. And Mina was here too. They could get started while the Scouts called for backup. Serena pulled herself out of her chair, crouched out of sight.

"Moon Prism Power!" The Negaverse could ruin even a wonderful day like today. How dare they.


	115. Plain Brutal

"Hold it right there!" Sailor Moon called to the hairdresser, who turned around to face her. The woman's eyes glowed red and she stared at Sailor Moon, smirking confidently.

"So, little miss Moon Princess." The woman sneered. She was nothing like the friendly helpful woman she was a few minutes ago. Was she a youma? But this wasn't like Nephrite, who implanted his youma, or Zoicite's with the crystal, there was no transformation or anything, it was like she was both human and youma.

No matter, she had the crystal, and Mina was surely going to be by her side in just a second as Sailor Venus. She'd do this quickly, Amy and Jedite could talk about it and figure it out later.

"You will be destroyed, girl, and I will bring the crystal back to my Queen!" The woman replied bluntly. Sailor Moon pulled out her wand and levelled it at the monster. This was still the Crescent Moon Wand, with it's healing powers. Having the Silver Crystal attached shouldn't change that. The woman would be back to normal soon enough.

"Moon..." Serena began to heal her, but before she could, she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her hand. She tried to focus on keeping the wand firmly in her grasp, but the shock dropped her to the ground.

She looked around, trying to find the source of the attack. Did this youma-woman have help somewhere?

"Ah, you've arrived." The youma-woman acknowledged with some reverence in her tone. Serena could hear one of the chairs that clients sat in wheel around, and she immediately turned her head to see it. And when she did, she was sure glad she was on the ground already, or else she would have fallen.

Sitting in the chair, very calmly, was Tuxedo Mask. Was she hallucinating? She had seen him get kidnaped, and not even Jedite had gone to get him back. Did Jedite undergo another risky mission? Or did Darien break himself free? Either way, it really was good to see him again.

He stood up out of the chair, and calmly took a few steps towards her. Sailor Moon stood up and was prepared to rush over to greet him.

"Tuxedo Mask." Sailor Moon smiled at him, but he didn't respond at all. His mouth was closed, and, even with his mask on, Serena could feel him glaring at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Prince Endymion." The youma-woman stated, still with her reverent tone.

"Who?" Sailor Moon asked confusedly. What kind of name was that? And why did she called Tuxedo Mask that name again.

"Sailor Moon." Tuxedo Mask finally spoke, but his tone didn't have the slightly cold but friendly tone that he normally had, nor did he have Darien's snarky voice. He seemed completely different.

"Tuxedo Mask, it's good you're here. Let's get this youma." She could deal with that later.

"No." He stated firmly. "I'm here for one thing, and that's the crystal. Hand it over!" He ordered firmly.

"Prince Endymion, we're wasting time, let's just kill this pathetic girl and take the crystal ourselves." The youma woman replied.

"Huh?" Sailor Moon was surprised. He was working with the youma.

"Queen Beryl asked me to handle this, and you will follow orders." Tuxedo Mask addressed the youma.

"You...you're working for...for Beryl?" It couldn't be. Tuxedo Mask would never follow her: He knew better about what she'd unleash on the world given her way.

Tuxedo Mask brought up his hand holding his cane, and, without a flinch on his face, extended it towards her, catching her right in the shoulder.

It was a painful attack, and Sailor Moon winced as tears formed in her eyes. How could this be? What did Queen Beryl do to him? Brainwashing? Could she even do that?

She needed to move, and move quickly. She'd never fought Tuxedo Mask before, but Jedite had, and Jedite always ended up losing in a one-on-one fight with him. The other Scouts needed to get here. And she hadn't seen Mina yet, but the other normal people here were passed out. Was Mina affected by it? If she ran, they'd give chase: They'd have no reason to suspect Mina was here.

Sailor Moon ran. As she did, she heard Tuxedo Mask give the order for the youma to give chase.

She grabbed her communicator to call the Scouts. Hopefully, they weren't far.

* * *

Mina still wasn't sure what was happening. She had been patiently sitting in a hair steamer, reading a magazine when her eyes started to get heavy. But she wasn't tired, today's shopping had invigorated and excited her, and she never got tired until she got home when that happened; it never failed.

As she struggled to stay away, she could here talking, and shouting. Forcing her eyes open took much of her energy, however, and she could do nothing as she watched Sailor Moon staring down one of the hairdressers.

It was odd that Serena would have transformed here, but as Mina tried to look around, she could see passed-out people everywhere. That was a bad sign: This had to be some plot by the Negaverse, and now Serena needed help.

But right now, all Mina could do was look and listen. But she could hear everything. She was just surprised as Serena was when Tuxedo Mask showed up, and even more when she realized who he was really working for now. She hadn't known Tuxedo Mask very long, but even Mina could figure out something was up.

"Follow her." Mina heard Tuxedo Mask order when Sailor Moon dashed out of sight. Mina could see a bright swirl of energy around the hairdresser, before she transformed in a larger form. The youma immediately ran after Serena, and Tuxedo Mask calmly walked in pursuit.

Sailor Moon was in trouble. Whatever was causing Mina to feel tired now, she had to push it off. She ducked her head out of the hair steamer, and, with all her strength, pushed herself out of the chair and onto the floor. In her pocket, she gripped her transformation wand. Perhaps it was just in her head, but once she felt it, she could feel a bit more energy in her body. Enough to get started.

"Venus Power!" There was no way she was sitting out of this fight.

* * *

"You guys, I'm not sure this will work, we don't even know if Jedite is home." Raye was walking down the street with Lita and Amy towards Jedite's apartment. While Raye had originally planned on going there alone, Lita brought up the idea after Mina had left the temple, and Amy decided it was a good idea.

In Lita's hand was a basket of her own homemade cinnamon bread she had baked this morning, and Raye had some tea leaves wrapped in her purse. Raye had only spoken to him over the phone seen everything happened, but he seemed frazzled, as if he hadn't been sleeping well.

"You guys think Mina and Serena are having fun?" Amy asked as the girls waited for the stoplight to change.

"Knowing them, they're probably crushing on a bunch of idols." Lita giggled. That was Serena, she bounced back from things very quickly. And it was good for not just Serena too: Mina was new in town, and having a personal connection like that made things a lot better. Raye may have never been the new girl, but she knew what it was like to be the outsider. And new folks were always outsiders.

The girls crossed the street, but once they reached it, Raye paused and shivered. She felt a presence nearby. A dark one, a powerful one.

"Raye?" Amy was standing right next to her.

"We need to head that way." Raye pointed towards a street that had significantly less traffic than the other ones.

"Feeling someone?" Lita asked. Raye only nodded, and Lita did too. Just after that, Raye could feel the communicator beeping in her pocket.

Jedite would have to wait a moment. But knowing Jedite, he'd say for them to do the same thing even if he was here.


	116. First Date With the Bad Guy

Sailor Moon ran down the street a bit before a dark shadow materialized in front of her. As if to hammer home what she had seen in the beauty parlor, from out of the shadow stepped Tuxedo Mask, his face frowning, his hand holding his cane as if ready to strike.

From behind her, Sailor Moon could hear a low humming sound, like the sound of many bees, and turned to discover a youma, dressed all in red with one of her arms being one of the buzzers hairdressers used. Did that hairdresser change shape. She was glad that she did, for some reason, having her enemies look like humans really unnerved her. She'd be more willing to fight this one.

"The crystal." Tuxedo Mask ordered again. "Hand it over right now."

"What are you doing, Tuxedo Mask? We're friends." Sailor Moon replied.

"Friends? Don't be stupid." He scoffed at her, and his callousness broke her heart, even though she knew Darien was pretty mean to begin with.

"I serve only one person and that's my glorious Queen Beryl. Her wish is to have the crystal, and it is my privilege to bring it to her. If you want this settled without bloodshed, I suggest you hand it over!"

"Prince Endymion, we're wasting our time." The youma replied. "The girl won't give us the crystal, we should just take it from her corpse!" The youma immediately stepped towards Sailor Moon. Defensively, Sailor Moon brought the crystal to bear. She could handle a youma, she'd done it before.

But as she pointed the crystal towards the creature, she felt another sharp pain in her wrist, again bringing her to her knees. This time, she was able to see what had caused this. One of Tuxedo Mask's roses was firmly embedded in her right wrist. It always looked very painful to her enemies, and it was no exception here.

"Time for a trim!" The youma raised up her buzzer.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" And immediately, a bright flash of light intercepted the monster.

"_She made it!" _Sailor Moon thought, and just in time.

"A day of beauty turned to ugliness, on behalf of girls everywhere, shame on you. I am Sailor Venus, Sailor Scout of love and justice, defender of our Princess. You will not get your hands on her or the crystal!" For all her silliness, Mina knew how to talk gallantly. Perhaps that's why she liked acting so much.

"So, one of the Sailor Scouts, is it?" Tuxedo Mask did not seem impressed, he hadn't really seen Mina in action, if Serena recalled correctly. Neither had she, but Mina knew what she was doing, she had been a Scout for a while, so Artemis had mentioned.

Tuxedo Mask leapt up, and Venus ran forward. Sailor Moon used this time to get to her feet.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Venus launched an attack at Tuxedo Mask, who turned in mid-air to dodge it.

"I'm no weakling, not like the company you keep." Tuxedo Mask extended his cane at Venus, who leapt backward to dodge. Tuxedo Mask attacked a few more times, and Venus still managed to dodge, but he was picking up the speed. That's not something that could have been kept up forever.

Sailor Moon could help her once the youma was taken care of. She stood back up.

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon attacked. The youma blocked her tiara with it's arm, and Sailor Moon watched as her attack bounced off like she had thrown a teddy bear.

"Uh-oh." Sailor Moon took a few steps back. She still had the crystal, but what would unleashing that power that knocked Zoicite out of comission do to the woman that was this youma, the hairdresser. She couldn't just kill them, could she?

"Mars Fire Ignite!" The choice was quickly out of Sailor Moon's hands, for the cavalry had arrived.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" The two attacks converged onto the buzzer arm, which began to show cracks in it's casing.

"Evil Spirit, Begone!" Rushing from the side, Mars rushed the monster and placed one of her ofuda onto the cracked arm, which began to crack further, and eventually shattered.

"That's it!" Sailor Mercury came to Sailor Moon's side. "Come on, do it quickly."

"Right." Sailor Moon held the wand up.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" The wand throbbed under the power of the Silver Crystal, so much that Sailor Moon had to tighten her grip on it, but it's power realized all the same, and the body of the youma faded until all that was left was a crowd of hairdressers.

"More than one?" Mercury wondered aloud. There'd be time for that later.

* * *

"Agh!" Tuxedo Mask's attack connected with Sailor Venus, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed the rest of the Sailor Scouts. This became a little more complicated.

"Tux...Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Mars called out in surprise. "You're...you're alive. That's great news! You escaped."

"Escaped?" Tuxedo Mask responded no more positively to Mars than he did to Sailor Moon.

"Don't be fooled, Mars." Venus spit on the ground as she got to her feet.

"Fooled?" Mars asked.

"Yeah, it's Tuxedo Mask, but that youma was taking orders from him, and he was trying to take the Silver Crystal back. Don't think for one second he's a good guy. He's Beryl's toady, through and through."

"What?" Mars called in disbelief. And Tuxedo Mask merely shrugged.

"I guess I just can't live up to your high opinion of me. Sailor Venus is right, I serve only Queen Beryl, and she's ordered your death. I don't think there's any point in asking for the crystal nicely anymore, so I'll just beat it out of all of you. Who's first!" Tuxedo Mask asked as he brought a rose, now hued a jet black, to bear in his hands. He'd had enough of hearing how they said he was their friend or something. He needed no friends, he had his mission. That was more than anything.

"It...It can't be!" Sailor Moon couldn't take anymore of this. "What did that horrible woman do to you."

"I've heard enough of your bleating mouth, brat!" Tuxedo Mask prepared to throw his rose.

"You'll have to get through me first!" Sailor Jupiter replied and stepped forward.

"Fine with me!" Tuxedo Mask prepared to fight, but then he heard a voice in the back of his head.

"Prince Endymion, do not engage them at the moment." It was Queen Beryl's voice. Forceful, but gentle, she was not angry.

"But, I can beat them."

"Not yet." Beryl replied. "You've only just come in to your power. You're not ready for all the Sailor Scouts yet, and Jedite could still be out there preparing an ambush. Take this experience, learn, and apply it to your next assignment."

"As...as you command, Majesty." Tuxedo Mask did not like the idea of retreat, but Beryl gave the order, and she knew best.

"Well, I think I'll call it a day. When next we meet, that crystal will be mine." Tuxedo Mask turned around and began to teleport back to the base. His home, where his queen awaited.

These silly girls didn't seem like much, but the troubles that befell the Shitennou spoke otherwise. Perhaps rushing ahead was their downfall. He'd need to be more precise next time.

* * *

Andrew seemed to be acting very weirdly, so Jedite had decided to call his afternoon out short and head back to his apartment. There was still stuff to clean, and he'd need to get in touch with Mina soon. The studio was about ready to handle the walk-on role, and Mina was still a finalist.

In his head, Jedite knew Andrew meant well. He was far more sociable than Darien was, but Jedite didn't respond well to overly social people. Thanks to his history as someone not human, he never talked about his past, and lived only for the present. Darien didn't remember his childhood due to his car accident, didn't like his life growing up, and clammed up about Tuxedo Mask, making him a kindred soul. Andrew talked a lot about the past, and Jedite didn't like that.

The work of putting everything back into it's proper place calmed Jedite down. Once it was finished, he thought about getting a quick bite to eat, as the door rang.

It sounded like a bunch of people outside, so it was probably the Sailor Scouts. Sure enough, when Jedite opened the door, all five of them, in their civilian attire, were assembled outside.

"Hello." He replied. "Rare of you to come out like this. Can only mean one thing, though. Come on in, tell me about it." He ushered them into his kitchen. However, as he followed them in after shutting the door, he thought something was up. They were quiet, not chatting, or teasing Serena or anything like that.

It couldn't be a plot of Beryl's or anything, subtlety was lost on her, and there was no dark energy in any of these girls.

"So, what's going on? Did Malachite strike? Can't be too bad if you all look fine." Jedite shrugged. Perhaps Malachite wasn't as powerful as he thought. Wouldn't that be fun.

But the girls didn't answer, and Serena's face was completely pale.

"What's going on?" Jedite's tone took a hard edge. And he feel his stomach churn in protest. He could feel it: This news was not going to be pleasant.


	117. Bitter Tidings

"I see." Jedite knew the news would be bad, but he didn't realize just how bad. Darien was now working for Queen Beryl now. All of the Scouts confirmed it, there was no getting around it.

"Darien...was he brainwashed?" Serena asked.

"That's the only thing I can think of." Jedite replied. "What else would be the alternative? He wouldn't propose an alliance with her, Beryl would never trust someone who interfered in her plans to be free unless they gave something big. Like the Silver Crystal, and we still have that."

"So...if he's brainwashed, is there a way to, y'know, de-brainwash him?" Serena asked.

"I didn't even know Beryl could brainwash anyone." Jedite replied. "I'd never seen a situation come up that would call for it. So no, I wouldn't know how to reverse it."

"What's the plan?" Lita asked. "I don't really want to take out Darien, he's not really a bad guy."

"If we take out Queen Beryl and leave Darien alone, would that end the brainwashing?" Amy asked.

"Like I said, I don't know. I'd probably have to see Darien and get a feel for his energy if I can get any clues. And if he's working for Beryl, you can believe that he won't pull any punches around me. Let's just run interference while we figure out how to truly tap into the Crystal's power. Then we beat Malachite, Beryl, and Metallia, and then that's the end."

"That works for me." Raye returned. Jedite hoped so too: Simple was what he needed right now.

"Oh, and Mina, I need you at the station this weekend." Jedite remarked to the newest Sailor Scout.

"About the role? You got it for me!" Mina was excited.

"Not exactly, we're going to finalize everything there. I'll have to tell Molly and the other guy after we're finished here." Jedite replied.

"Aww, you really gotta. I could win by default."

"Mina." Lita replied sternly.

"Aww." Mina moaned, but said nothing else. She would be angry with Jedite if he did that anyway.

"Well, we should get going." Amy packed up her books, and politely said goodbye as she left, with Lita and Mina walking together.

"Hey, Jedite, how've you been?" Serena asked.

"Fine." Jedite answered cooly. What was he to say, that he thought he was going nuts? Their leader did not need to be distracted by such things, the crystal could be lost otherwise.

"So, Jedite, how has work with the studio been going?" Raye asked. Jedite engaged pleasantly for a bit. Raye seemed to smile, but Serena seemed a bit awkward.

"Ummm...I think I'm going to go. But, uhhh, Jedite if you feel like going out or anything, well, give me a ring." Serena chuckled, and headed out the door.

"What's with her?" Jedite wondered.

"You know that one." Raye replied. "Hey, are you doing all right? You look like you haven't been sleeping."

"It's...it's just for my role. I find when I have to shoot the scenes where my character is supposed to be tired and exhausted, it's more natural for me to be so. I have more of a temper when I'm tired."

"So you haven't been sleeping well?" Raye asked.

"Not for any reason other then a decision." Jedite lied expertly. It was so bad that he was really good at it. He had to be for his mission under Beryl, he had to lie because he was an actor, and lied all the time deceiving people into believing he was human.

"Raye?" He asked. "Well, that's not entirely true. I can't exactly say that what happened the best few days has been very good. Darien...was not part of my plan. To hear that he is brainwashed by Beryl is...unsettling."

"Unsettling?" Raye asked.

"If Beryl really brainwashed him, she would have to have erased the memories he had of a human, else Beryl risks him turning on her." Jedite explained. "When the time comes for battle, he will be an enemy. Just like Malachite. We may have to...we may have to do what it takes for our mission."

"I don't like that." Raye scowled.

"I don't either, but what other plans do we have?" Jedite replied. "We must do what we can to save the world. Even things we may not like."

"There's gotta be other ways."

"I hope so, but we may not have the luxury of time to figure them out. Keep this to yourself, Raye, Serena would get upset."

Raye nodded, and was silent for a time. Not that Jedite could have said anything else that would have made him feel better about the whole thing. Sometimes it sucked being the one who made the long-term goals.

* * *

Queen Beryl had given Hecate the task of driving Jedite crazy, but, as the queen sat upon her throne and listened to Prince Endmyion and Malachite discuss what happened today, she realized that she'd have to step up her game. Jedite did not appear during the battle, and Prince Endymion was still coming into his power, so the Scouts could match him in power. Who knew what chaos Jedite could wreck while Malachite, Endymion, and the Scouts were locked in battle. Jedite knew where the base was, and Jedite knew that, given Metallia's incorporeal form, they could not move the base anywhere else.

She needed to tip the scales fast, and Jedite was the easiest way to do that. She could not actively watch Jedite all of the time, it would take too much time and energy, not to mention that her scrying powers only gave her the ability to see. She could not hear or do anything else besides watch.

Hecate had gone to research the place where "Harvey Sigurd", his alter ego, worked. Perhaps a little chaos there would be necessary.

"Your Majesty." She could hear Hecate returning, and she bowed before her Queen.

"Everyone, dismissed." Beryl ordered her crowd. Malachite could storm off himself if he knew Jedite's location, and Endymion was not ready to deal with Jedite anymore than he was ready to deal with the Scouts.

"Yes, Hecate?" Beryl asked.

"I have heard that, at this week's end, the traitor will be holding the finals of a contest at the studio he works at. There's a lot of energy brimming there in anticipation for it. I've also heard that the traitor is looking forward to it, and putting a lot of his energy into his life there."

"He is coping." Beryl knew Jedite. Despite everything that happened, he was still very much the same person he always was. Whenever he was upset, he became more driven and focused, trying to blot out the problems in his life. If the human self of Prince Endymion was his friend, then he'd already be unsettled if the Sailor Scouts informed him of the battle. He could not have an outlet like this.

"Hecate!" Beryl ordered with a slight smile. "He cannot have something to calm his mind. You will ruin that night for him. By any means possible."


	118. Spotlight Stealer

"Wow, this is a dream come true, right now!" Mina smiled gratefully as she and Jedite walked into the TV Ashita studio. She could barely wait for school to end on Friday so that she could head there. Forget math tests, this was where she belonged.

By her side was the other girl, Serena's friend Molly Baker, another of the finalists. She had agreed to meet the two of them there.

"Hello, Mina, nice to see you again." Molly smiled.

"Yeah." Mina smiled.

"I hope you girls are ready. We're deciding today." Jedite told the two of them. As if Mina wasn't coming to this fully prepared, as if!

"Well, let's get you girls into makeup. Mr. Everett should be here momentarily, but we should be ready for Director Abernathy." Jedite explained, and Mina followed him to a trailer.

"You girls will have this one. Don't worry, the staff inside's really good, it won't hurt at all."

"Thanks, Jed. I trust you." Molly smiled. According to the rest of the Scouts, Molly was very close to Zoicite's predecessor, Nephrite. It was a very long story, and Mina still hadn't heard all of it, but it was a really sad one, it affected everyone, even those who didn't know Molly very well.

Mina didn't want to talk to this girl about it, either. She didn't want to let on that she knew about it, and this was their first meeting. It should be fun.

Jedite was right, the people who did the makeup were real experts. The makeup was a little much when they were finished, but Mina knew that it needed to pop a little more because of the cameras. She knew that much at least.

"Wow, I look totally different." Molly was surprised, but pleased. "Are you ready, Mina?"

"Yeah. I wonder how they're going to decide? I hope it's not random, we came so far!"

"I don't think it'll be like that. Jed's a harsh guy, but he's a good one."

"You sound like you have a crush on him." Mina teased.

"It's not like that." Molly giggled. "I trust him. I can't really talk about it, but Jed does a great thing so that people like me can live our lives." Mina stayed silent for a moment. Did that mean Molly knew Jedite's secret identity. She'd have to get that from him later.

"Well, I think we're ready, Mina."

"I'm gonna give it my all!" Mina replied.

"I never stopped believing, and trying. I'm not about to stop now!" Molly smiled, and the girls exchanged a friendly nod of rivalry. It brought out the best in Mina at times. It could only help.

* * *

All three contestants assembled in the studio once they were in makeup. There was no need for costumes now: The girls would be schoolgirls if they were chosen, and Jason would be a businessman. They had come from work and school, they were practically ready as it was.

"Thank you all for coming." Saffron eagerly greeted the contestants.

"Likewise." Jedite replied. "To pick among you three is a pleasure." Jedite was happy this was finally going forward, it gave him structure, a task to focus on. He could forget about Darien, Beryl, and everything when he was Harvey Sigurd. And that would help him be ready.

"So the way this is going to work is this. All three of you will be in this scene. We'll shoot it, and decide from there who's the best with the camera. They'll be back after the break in part 2 of this finale." Saffron informed.

"Here are your scripts." Jedite handed the copies out to everyone. "Read over it, get your motivation, and we'll film right here." The set was already set up for a scene in a living room. Jason's character was supposed to be under investigation by Detective Flannigan, and while he was speaking to him, Saffron's character was supposed to act off the two girls's characters: Molly as the stepdaughter of Jason and Mina as her childhood friend. She was supposed to learn that the girls were far more suspicious than the father. A simple scene, with the whole action of the scene in the dialogue, so Jedite made sure not to come off too forceful in his lines.

"All right, wanna do a dry run?" Jedite offered. He had nowhere else he wanted to go. Making this last as long as possible.

"Sure." Mina smiled. "Might as well get familiar with it now when I'm a big star!"

"Mina, it's a lot of work." Jedite cautioned. "I was lucky."

"It is." Saffron agreed. "But you don't give yourself enough credit. If only I'd met you before." And Jedite bit his lip when she said that. He'd never met her, but he used her in an energy gathering scheme. He'd worked with her so long now he'd almost forgotten about it.

"Well, I'm all for it." Jason shrugged. "Let's all get into position, shall we?"

* * *

Hecate could feel the powerful energy from the studio, and knew the traitor was working on his day job of being an actor. It was something that could not be allowed, to let that man have any peace in his life.

This would be a bit of a challenge. She'd never be able to get close without Jedite detecting her presence. And if he was ever alone with her, he'd use the time to quickly dispatch her. And Hecate understood nothing of these stupid humans, far less than Jedite did. He could manipulate them into leaving and pretend nothing was going on.

But her goal wasn't to kill Jedite, no, that was Queen Beryl's decision to make. She just needed to cause chaos, disrupt his serenity. That she could handle, she could teleport and Jedite would not be able to tail her.

She disguised herself as a normal human girl and teleported past the security at the front gate. Once inside, she only needed to pretend as though she belonged: A basic lesson taught to all youma who infiltrated.

She got closer to where the traitor was working, and she could feel it, feel the traitor's energy, mixed with powerful human energy from several different individuals. And if she could feel the traitor's energy, he could feel hers. Now was the time to move. Quickly, before he could find a way to be alone.

The traitor wouldn't risk exposing himself: He hadn't before. And that would be Hecate's advantage.

* * *

"Detective...Flannigan, is it?" Jason Everett had very solid acting, although Mina tended to put more energy into her performances. It made her over the top at times, but Jedite knew enough about acting to know sometimes that's what the role called for.

"You can just call me Derek. A lovely place you have." Jedite complimented. "This is Elle Taylor, one of our interns."

"A pleasure." Elle nodded.

"Shall I bring out some coffee, Detective?" Jason asked.

"No, thank you. I wanted to ask you about the incident at the bank yesterday. The bank teller mentioned you had been there."

"Yes, but nothing happened at the bank when I was there." Jason started. He was about to reiterate this as per the script, but Jedite shivered, and nearly lost his focus. There was a presence nearby, a dark one. That could only be one of Queen Beryl's personal youma. Had she found him? Why now, why here? This was very unlike her.

"Like I said, Detective, I know that the murder happened at the bank, but I don't know a thing about it." Jason continued. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss.

"I...You can't be..." Jedite fumbled with his lines for a bit, but it didn't last long.

"Hahahaha!" He could hear a woman's voice laughing. It was not Queen Beryl, but it was trouble either way.

Thankfully, everyone stopped what they were doing to look around.

"What was that?" Molly asked. Jedite balled his hands into fists, and Mina seemed to catch onto the idea quickly, and nodded a nearly imperceptable nod to him.

And then, a door on the far side of the room opened, and in stepped a woman Jedite had never seen before. New interns weren't sent to work on live sets.

"This is a closed set." Jedite ordered, although he could feel the dark energy from this woman. It was no normal woman.

"Not anymore." The woman shut the door and walked inside. As she did, her entire appearance changed from a normal girl to a yellow-skinned creature with shocking white hair wearing sheer black and glowing red eyes.

Youma, one of Beryl's. Not a transformed human like Zoicite did with the crystals, or something like the thing Darien did with the humans at the hair stylist place. He could destroy this one without guilt. But not here, not in front of Saffron and Jason. He had to get them out of here.

"I think it's time for a casting cut!" A sword materialized in the youma's hand, and she swung it straight towards Jedite, who leapt backward to avoid it easily.

"Run!" He ordered Saffron. "Get out of here!" He hoped she'd listen. Saffron was no Sailor Scout, or Molly with her bravery. She couldn't get involved here. She'd just get hurt by the Negaverse. Again.


	119. Ready to Roll

Jedite hit the ground as the youma began her first attack, diving into Saffron to knock her out of the way. A simple energy blast. She wasn't after energy, or some sort of grand scheme: She was here to fight, which meant one of two things: She knew the identity of either him or Sailor Venus. And that was unlikely, Beryl would attempt something a lot quieter for that, like a kidnapping to retrieve the crystal.

Not with Jedite: He could escape too easily from that, and Beryl would know it. She'd just want him dead. Though why she thought a single youma, even one of her own personal retinue, would be up to the task was something else. She must be planning something. Was this a special sort of youma, like that one Erinyes a long time ago?

"Saffron! Move!" He ordered quickly to his fallen co-worker.

"Jed, I..."

"Get everyone and go."

"Why does this happen?" Saffron was too startled to move at first.

"Run!" He pulled her to her feet quickly and pushed her away from him. Crude, but if she didn't move, it would only end up being bad for her. And for him, he couldn't use his powers with Saffron watching: She'd know he was something...different. And humans were a fearful lot, scared of the strange and powerful. Jedite knew that even before he disguised himself as one of them.

"No one's going anywhere!" The youma shot another wave of energy, everyone diving and ducking to reach the floor. Was that the youma's plan, a showboating case of bravado to get Jedite to reveal himself? Not bloody likely to be successful, Jedite knew his powers better than anyone.

But he wouldn't be able to do so with all of these people here: Saffron and Jason, at best, had to leave the room. Molly had seen him work his powers before, and due to her connection with Nephrite, wouldn't care. It would matter to Mina transforming as Sailor Venus, but not him.

He needed a distraction.

"I don't know you, monster, but you've made a real mistake coming here." Jedite engaged the youma in dialogue, making sure to keep things as ambigious as possible. Hopefully, Mina would get the hint and get Saffron and everyone else out of the way. The youma was only gunning for him.

"Not on my end. I've come here and I know what I want." The youma returned.

"Too bad for you." Jedite could not use his telekinesis to dash forward at the speeds he used to pummel Zoicite, but he was still pretty athletic. He could do some damage by himself.

He dashed, ramming his shoulder into the youma. She had no armor, no shield, no nothing to defend herself. And she gave way, staggering backward under his assault.

"Run, now!" He turned his head quickly and ordered. Jason, the panicky actor, moved quickly. Saffron was a bit slower, due to her wearing high heels at the time, and stumbled. Molly tried to assist her, but not before the youma got back into the battle.

She launched an attack with no words, and Jedite was far too close to block it any more than a feeble block with his arms. She was stronger than normal youma, and Jedite couldn't block with his telekinesis, so the blast connected, knocking him into the air and on his back on the ground.

He scrambled up.

"What are you doing? Run!" He ordered as he noticed Saffron and Molly were still here. Molly had no reason to be involved in these battles anymore: Zoicite was dead and gone, Nephrite was truly avenged now.

Mina moved towards Saffron and tried to help her. Good. Mina could always double-back and join the battle later, once she found a quiet place to become Sailor Venus. She'd be helpful in this battle: Beryl would have been expecting Jedite alone, or in a crowd of civilians, for a youma to be this bold.

Jedite tried to keep his eyes locked on the youma, but heard them all scamper off and out into the studio.

"Good." He smiled. "Now I don't need to worry about this." Jedite leapt backward and hovered in the air, shedding his disguise so that he'd have full access to his power.

Jedite didn't care to talk with this youma: It was a plain youma, and Jedite would shed no tears at it's passing. He unleashed an energy attack straight at the beast. Stronger people had tried to kill Jedite before, and they failed. Jedite was more concerned about how he was going to explain this one to Saffron. Youma were always drawn to this studio due to him, and Jedite was running out of excuses to make.

The youma didn't seem fazed by Jedite's attack. She dodged it without effort. She then stood up tall, and materialized a sword into her hand, a large thing with a bright red pommel stone.

"With this sword, I shall stain with the traitor's blood." The youma declared.

"You think I'm scared by that?" Jedite launched another energy wave at her. But she smiled, and pointed her sword, pommel end first, straight at the attack. Jedite watched in surprise as it drew straight into the blade.

The youma turned the blade around so the blade was facing Jedite, and cut a wide arc where she was standing. She was too far away to hit Jedite with the blade, but from the blade itself, a wave of energy, quite similar to Jedite's own, shot out quickly. It moved too fast for Jedite to block, even if he had time to use telekinesis, and the force flung him straight into the ceiling.

Jedite tried to shake off his daze. Beryl was upping the stakes this time. If Venus came back and attacked, would it work the same for her Crescent Beam.

And Jedite had to acknowledge that, with this at least, Beryl was no fool.

* * *

"Wait!" The group of three girls had run through the studio, but Saffron had to stop them.

"Jed's not behind us." She noticed once she had both Molly and Mina's attention.

"He should be right behind us." Mina replied. "I heard him. Maybe he went a different way out."

"There isn't one." Saffron replied. Not unless Jed was crawling through air vents. But he was too big to fit in them.

"We have to get him back." Saffron affirmed. Sometimes, weird things happened. That day Jed first came there, and then again at the contest to choose the walk-on role. Jed saved her then, kept everyone calm and safely got everyone out. Because of it, the audience was more hurt than scared, and the show was able to go on.

She owed him the same. He did so much for her, for the studio; he shouldn't have to feel like he should do everything himself.

Saffron could tell: She was an actress, she had such experience with emotions she could detect them. And Jed carried something heavy with him, that had only gotten worse recently. That's why he did things like this, it gave him drive and purpose.

"I'll get him." Mina replied. She was definitely an eager, energetic girl, and she could run fast.

"You two, just stay safe." She dashed off back in the direction they were running from, back to the monster, and Jed. She hoped they were safe.

"I'll think we'll be safe." Molly, the other girl, stated. Perhaps. But would Jed, and Mina? Saffron was calmer now after seeing that weird attack. She could focus now.

"Molly, I'm real sorry this happened today. On your big debut too." Saffron remarked. "Head home, and we'll call you. I promise." Saffron had made up her mind, and without waiting for another word, she followed Mina.

She was just a normal girl. But so was Mina. And Jed was a normal man. He stood up to that crazy monster, and Mina went to help him.

She could, too.


	120. Just Not Careful

Jedite got up quickly after the monster knocked him to the ground, and knew he'd have to adapt his tactics quickly. Any energy he threw out could be re-directed back at him.

"_It's not like I don't have other tactics, but if I slam this youma through a wall, that'll bring people to investigate. And then we have other problems." _It was hard enough getting Saffron to leave, and it probably would not have happened were Mina not present. Bringing curiosity seekers would just end up blowing his cover.

But Jedite had to learn to adapt, he'd been doing so for a while. He picked up the table with his telekinesis and threw it at the youma. No energy for her to redirect, so he thought.

And while she didn't use that odd sword to throw the table back at him, she dodged it, rather effortlessly. And, with another twist of her sword, she launched another energy wave at him. Jedite had to hit the dirt completely to avoid it.

Jedite got back up and started to use his telekinesis to throw multple things at the youma. She couldn't possibly dodge them all. And she wouldn't be able to teleport fast enough away from them.

"Hold it!" A familiar voice called out from where Mina and the others had escaped.

"Good, you're here." Jedite kept his eyes on the youma.

"In the name of all television watchers everywhere, how dare you ruin this shooting. I won't stand for it. I'm Sailor Venus, Sailor Scouts of love and justice, and on behalf of Venus, I be making the final take."

"I think you mean final cut, Venus." Jedite groaned. She may have gotten less ditzy in her attitude when she turned into a Sailor Scouts, but not with her mouth.

"No traitor and blonde bimbo tag team could defeat Queen Beryl's greatest warrior!"

"Blonde bimbo!" Venus growled. "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" She shot quickly before Jedite could warn her of this youma's special ability. She only grinned, and pointed the sword, pommel end forward, just as she did with Jedite's attack. With another twist, she launched the attack straight at Venus. Jedite couldn't have moved quickly enough unless he used his telekinesis to fling himself at high speeds, which would have caused more harm then good.

So he could do nothing as the attack collided with Venus and slammed her against the wall. He teleported beside her and helped her up.

"Careful, she redirects any energy attacks with that sword." Jedite informed. "And she's pretty fast so throwing things with telekinesis hasn't worked in my favor.

"I called the Scouts, they should be over here shortly."

"It'll be hard for them to get in." Jedite replied. This place was like a fortress, and so far, the youma's been quiet. Even if Saffron went to tell someone about what was happening, they wouldn't take away the gate guard.

The youma charged forward, sword at the ready, Jedite and Venus split.

"_If I can knock her down with a low blow..." _Jedite thought. As the youma charged forward, Jedite dropped in low, hoping to kick out her legs. His blow connected, but it didn't knock her down. All it did was divert her attention to him. A woman standing with a sword against a man in the prone position: Not the best place to be.

"I've had enough of you!" The youma thrust her sword forward, and Jedite tried to move, but he took the blade square in the shoulder.

"Arg!" It wasn't a deep wound, but certainly a painful one. She pushed on it with all her might, and Jedite screamed as he felt it cut through.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Venus attacked with her energy attack. But, instead of the sword redirecting the attack, like it did before, it hit the youma dead on, knocking her away.

Bracing himself with the wall, Jedite managed to get to his feet. The sword was still sticking out of his shoulder, the attack must have loosened the youma's grip completely.

"Are you all right?" Mina asked. He wasn't. Having a sword stuck in his shoulder wasn't good for anyone, not even him.

But he had an idea now. Gripping the sword tightly, he pulled it from his arm, wincing as it came out. Panting, he managed to work it out. He ignored the pain and the bleeding, gripped the sword in his hand, and very carefully, emitted a tiny energy blast from his palm straight into the pommel. The sword began to glow. Jedite swang it towards the youma, and sure enough, a wave of energy emerged from the blade shot towards the youma. She dodged it by hitting the dirt, but Jedite didn't care now.

"This fight, is in my hands now." Jedite stepped forward. He was done having Queen Beryl ruin everything he had accomplished.

* * *

Saffron made sure Molly and Jason were safe first before heading back to the studio. She hadn't seen Mina anywhere, but she could here a real fracas from the studio. That...whatever that crazy lady was, was doing something in there. Fighting. Were Jed and Mina all right? Saffron moved towards the door and peaked through the crack. The crazy lady was in the back, but she didn't seem to be in control. No, there was a look of fear in her face as she looked forward. Into Saffron's vision stepped a man, a blonde guy with his back to her, so she couldn't make him out.

That couldn't be Jed, could it? He was a blonde guy, but he had dyed his hair black for his role. Even if that was his wig, he wouldn't put in on for that crazy lady, that made no sense.

"This ends now!" The man jumped into the air, but rather then come back down like a normal person, he hovered. Hovered in the sky as if he was magic. He charged forward like a torpedo, and rammed himself straight into the woman.

"Hrk!" The woman tried to move, but the man moved too fast, and rammed into her. He gently brought himself to the ground, and when he moved, she could see a sword stuck straight into the woman's abdomen.

Saffron's eyes widened in shock, was someone just killed on the studio? That was certainly some crazy stuff that woman did, but she was a normal woman, just a loony. With some crazy special effects or something. They went to the psychiatric ward, not to be killed.

"Time to finish you!" The man replied, and Saffron continued to watch as the blonde man shot a ray of blinding white light right into the sword. Once they connected, there was a bright explosion, and when it subsided a second later, there was nothing left of the crazy woman.

"All taken care. One more youma destroyed." The man said, probably to someone not in Saffron's line of sight. He turned around, and Saffron could see him, but she looked right at his chest. He had sustained a rather nasty cut on his shoulder, and it was oozing blood. Or at least, Saffron thought it was blood. She'd never seen anyone with green blood in her life that wasn't in a science-fiction piece.

"You're gonna have to do something about that." A woman's voice called out. "Everyone would freak if they saw it."

"You're right, I should get back into disguise too." The man returned, and then his entire body began to change. His blonde hair change to black, and his clothes changed. Back to a familiar costume of a shirt and tie.

She was looking at Harvey. Right to his eyelashes. Saffron could scarcely believe that Harvey Sigurd was some weird power-shooting possible murderer.

She screamed, that was all she could do right now.


	121. Striking Out Alone

Jedite heard the woman's scream shortly afterhe finished off the youma, but it was no death knell from the creature, it took way too long afterwards to sound out. Besides, he obliterated that thing. It didn't have the time to scream.

And it didn't come from Sailor Venus either. She was as confused as he was when the sound was heard.

"What was that? Was someone hurt?" Venus asked. Jedite moved towards the sound: He'd be more inconspicuous than Sailor Venus. The sound came right from the doorway out where the offices and prop closets were, the way Molly and everyone else escaped.

As he opened the door, he heard a shudder, and watched as he saw Saffron very slowly backing away from him. There was a sheer look of utter terror in her eyes.

"Saffron?" She only cringed when Jedite called her name.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"What...what are you?" Her voice wavered, and she stammered. She could barely speak.

"It's me, Harvey, Jed."

"No! You're...you're not real, not human. You made...something out of your hand, and your blood, it was green!" Jedite tried to keep his features relaxed. He couldn't give himself away.

"Saffron, listen to yourself." Jedite tried to bluff, pull off his best one yet. It was clear to him that Saffron saw him turn from Jedite into Harvey Sigurd: He disguised the bloodstain with his new clothes, so she would have had to have seen him beforehand. The only thing he could think of was plausible deniability. Luckily, it was a pretty ridiculous story.

"I know what I saw. All the weird things that happened. Your audition, the contest, and now this? What are you?"

"I'm just Jed!" Jedite pleaded, but he knew it was hopeless. He was careless, didn't remember the curiosity of humans, that could override even self-preservation at times.

He took a step towards her, but she shuddered.

"Stay back!" She ordered. "I've got nothing you want, alien or demon, or..." She kept backing up, and eventually began a full retreat in the other direction.

And Jedite was stunned. He didn't know what to do. For the first time in a long time, he had no idea what to do anymore.

"Jedite?" Venus, now transformed back into Mina, called over to him. He didn't hear her at first. Instead, he grabbed the table used during the shooting and threw it against the wall with a loud clatter.

"I can't believe it!" Jedite ranted.

"Hey, it'll be all right." Mina tried to reassure. "No one will believe a story like that, and you guys have bluffed out of tighter situations, Raye said..."

"That's not the point." Jedite scowled. It wasn't that the show wouldn't go on, or that he couldn't think of a way out of it, but now Saffron knew his real identity, and her reaction was telling. She didn't accept him, she only accepted Jed Hanson, the normal everyday handsome actor. Not Jedite. Even though Jedite knew this would be the case, seeing it happened really hammered in the fact that he didn't belong. Darien accepted, but Darien was Tuxedo Mask too, and had a background in it. Would Andrew, or Lizzie, or the many fans of Harvey Sigurd be all right with the fact that he was more than just a little different. Or, like Saffron, would they be trembling and scared. Fear led one to do many things, dangerous things. A mob of frightened people could worry about Jedite hurting them, and try to strike first: Human history was full of such things. And that was but one possibility.

Jedite hung his shoulders. Life in this human world seemed pointless when he had to institute such limits on himself.

"You'd better go." He told Mina. "They're just going to question you if you're here. It would be better if I handled things myself so we don't catch ourselves in a lie."

"Jedite..."

"Mina, go. Now." He ordered firmly. Sometimes, all one could do was face the music. But he had to do this part alone.

* * *

Carlos Abernathy didn't know what to make of Saffron's story. Apparently, something weird happened during the shooting, some crazy woman came onto the set. There was always a few loonies who managed to sneak in sometimes, they were more than a little persistent, but she furthered it by saying Jed had killed one of them in a explosion of light, and was himself, some kind of alien with freaky powers.

"_Sometimes I wonder why I don't put you on my screenwriting staff." _It sounded like complete nonsense. Lots of weird things happened this season, that didn't happen before. And it was true, it always seemed to happen when Jed was around. But this was just unreal.

She was too freaked out about everything to calm down, so Carlos went to the set in question. There was no body of some crazy woman, although the set looked to be a total mess. Jed was leaned against the wall. For his part, he denied everything.

"I have no idea what happened. Crazy lady did come in, but she threw something at me and knocked me out for the count. I don't get it, sorry." Was his response, and it seemed to hold up. Carlos couldn't help but think Jed seemed more evasive than usual, and, given that he was a man who spoke nothing of his personal life, that was no small feat.

"What happens now?" Jed asked.

"Well, we're going to have to push production until later. We needed to get stuff done pronto, and we're not going to have enough time to edit. It's probably for the best, there's some award show that night and I hate competing with them, it always drives the ratings down. We'll take another break week and put an extra day in. By then, everyone should be calm."

"That's...that's good." Jed seemed really depressed by the whole thing. How could a guy like him get so upset being called an alien or monster or something. Actors got called a whole slew of nasty names, and there were always those who resented the success of one popular and handsome like Jed.

"We don't shoot for another three weeks. Why don't you take a vacation, I know you don't really take those. Rest and recharge, you really don't look like you've been sleeping well."

"I haven't. Thanks for the suggestion." Jed returned. Carlos didn't know what to say to the guy. According to his ex-wife, he was never very good at communicating to begin with. But Jed stood up and left. He didn't look back, he didn't say a word.

* * *

Raye was sweeping the front steps, and the traffic to the temple seemed to be dying down for the day. Taking a deep breath, Chad Kumata decided that today would be the day he'd talk to Raye. Ask her how she was, hear her laugh, her smile. He'd done it before, but he was always so nervous he'd cut the conversation short. He needed to take baby steps to approach her without sounding like an idiot.

"Hey, Raye." He started casually.

"Good afternoon, Chad." She smiled at him."And how are you today?"

"Awesome, totally." He laughed. "What about you?" His heart was pounding. Even casual conversation was hard.

Raye began to talk about school, and about her grandfather, Chad listened. She was so perfect and awesome, and he wished she would date him.

"Hey!" A loud shout jarred both of their attentions, and Chad turned to see Mina, the friend of Raye's with the hair ribbon, bounding up the steps as if she was sprinting.

"Mina!" Raye stood up. "Not so loudly, you could disturb Grandpa." She walked over very calmly to Mina, and Chad took a step back and gave Raye a second to deal with her.

Once Mina and Raye got close together, Mina whispered something in Raye's ear, and her eyes immediately went wide.

"Are you serious?" Raye asked.

"Would I joke about that?" Mina returned.

"We...we should get over there right away. Sorry, Chad, I gotta run for a minute."

"Where you going?" Chad asked. "Anything I can help with."

"No, it's...I'm just going to Jed's apartment for a moment, I'll be back before long. Tell Grandpa if he asks." And with that, Raye, not even bothering to change, headed down the steps with Mina at high speed.

"_It's always about that pretty boy actor with her." _Chad grumbled, and picked up Raye's broom and did her sweeping. If only he could overcome his stage fright, he'd be the man for her. But right now, all she seemed to notice was him.


	122. On a Break

Jedite wasted no time getting back home. At this point, he almost didn't care if someone saw him teleport home, but there was still enough sense left in his head to wait until the coast was clear.

It was quiet in his apartment, not that he didn't expect. Had Beryl found him, or was this random chance? If Beryl had found him, she would have known a youma would have been no good against him. Why wasn't Malachite coming with a vengeance? He would be razing the earth for a chance at revenge against him for killing Zoicite. So, did Beryl merely not tell him? Why? Even she knew the power of vendetta.

And it was too much to assume random chance. His home, the apartment, now had to be considered not safe.

Serena and the Scouts should still be safe: Beryl would never waste her time on him if the Silver Crystal was within her grasp, whether or not Malachite knew anything. And if there had been a problem with Serena, Mina would have been contacted.

So, what was she after. Jedite thought he understood Queen Beryl's motivations and plans; it was his best counter against her. Of course, she knew he was alive, even if she didn't know where he was before this, she would have to have changed her plans. But even this was completely unlike her.

"_How can I counter this? Can I even counter this?" _Jedite looked around at his mess of a place. At one point, he had been putting it back together, all the things out of place, but then decided against it, it was frustrating him, reminding him too much of how he couldn't remember how he got everything mixed up in the first place.

Jedite leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. That's when Jedite realized he was standing next to the hall mirror. He regarded his reflection for a moment. Director Abernathy was right, he did not look good at all. These past week had really been taking his toll on him.

Part of him wished Zoicite was still around: Cruel and petty though he was, he was so blunt and obvious it gave a focal point to work around. If Beryl was engaging in intrigue, she was doing it very decisively. And it was working, he'd be a poor ally in a fight. How else could that youma have gotten the jump on him like that, and hurt him fairly badly. His shoulder hurt like none other. While he healed quicker than normal humans, he didn't have the option of hospital treatment, or having anyone look at it, only natural healing.

"_Maybe...maybe you just need to take your mind off of things. Serena has the crystal, and the Scouts know her enough to keep her focused. You've seen how Mina is in fights, and she learns quickly. They need you at your best, get at your best." _Jedite affirmed to himself. He couldn't tell the Scouts, though. They'd try to talk to him, try to be sympathetic, and Jedite didn't need that. He'd just get angry because they truly would not understand what happened. They had homes, families, people who accepted them for who they were. The only thing Jedite had was the foundation he himself laid. And that was shaky as it was, and Saffron's scream just brought the whole thing crashing down.

Jedite stepped away from the mirror, and noticed on the counter just below it was some leftover mail he had not sorted through. He quickly pawed through it and found nothing important. But the last thing there was a brochure. For a hot spring: Jedite had never been to one of those. But it promised relaxation and peace.

Exactly what he needed.

* * *

"I can't believe you're taking us to a hot spring, Dad." Serena smiled from the backseat as her father drove the car down the highway. It was a real surprise to come home from school and find out about this, but once she knew about it, she was packed in a few seconds, all ready for it. What wasn't to love about a hot spring. They felt so amazing, were great for the skin, and a weekend away from everything was exactly what the doctor ordered. It still wasn't easy dealing with Tuxedo Mask being kidnaped by Queen Beryl, and the whole brainwashing thing was just the icing on the cake.

"This is a really special place to your mom and me." Her father said as he was driving. Serena had heard this story before, about how Mom and Dad met. She didn't need to hear it again. Instead, she reached at her neck and fingered the star-shaped locket that had fallen from Tuxedo Mask's pocket during a fight for the Rainbow Crystals. He had told her to hang onto it, and she considered it a token, a favor. He didn't ask for it back, so she had to mean something to him.

That thought helped, when things got complicated, like this brainwashing thing. With the locket, all her friends, and the Silver Crystal, she could do it. It helped when things were that simple sometimes.

But that didn't mean she couldn't take time to relax too. Even Moon Princesses needed time to herself, and what better way to do it than at the hot springs.

She wrote a quick note for Luna, whom she couldn't seem to find in the house, and left it on her bed. Luna could read, and she'd see it, and she'd know. The family would leave food out for her, and she'd be fine.

Everything would be fine. All of the scouts were extremely capable and Jedite was with them too, they could handle things for a few days. Just like with Tuxedo Mask, all would be fine.

* * *

"Your Majesty, may I approach?" Prince Endymion bowed before his queen, and Beryl only nodded.

"I have noticed a very powerful dark energy on Earth." Prince Endymion informed. "I would like to see if it could be harnessed by our side."

"Indeed? A powerful force?" Beryl did not notice such things herself: She was too preoccupied with creating a plan to get the Silver Crystal, and her own little intrigue with Jedite.

Beryl needed to consolidate her forces and gain as much power as she could: Hecate was late in returning from her mission with Jedite, so she could have been discovered and dealt with. If so, Jedite would be far more cautious. Having a power he was unaware of could tip the balance, if battle arose. From what Endymion told her of the location, it was out in the countryside of Japan, and the Sailor Scouts stayed limited to the cities.

"You may go, Prince Endymion." Beryl gave her subject leave. "Go and see this power for youself, and ascertain whether or not it is useful to us. If it is, bring it to us. If not, leave and do not disturb it. I need no potential enemy when the crystal is so close."

"Yes, my Queen." And Endymion disappeared in a flash of light.

"Your Majesty?" Malachite, who had been watching from the shadows, made his presence known shortly thereafter.

"Yes?" She asked.

"It is truly wise to send him off on his own? He's still new to his power, and he could be vulnerable."

"Do you truly distrust each other so?" Beryl was a little annoyed with Malachite's paranoia, but she supposed he did have a reason to be paranoid: She'd never brainwashed anyone before so thoroughly, and time among the human world, where Endymion lived his human life, could affect him differently. This mission was a little less defined then simply obtaining the Silver Crystal or getting energy, Endmyion would have needed to research, plan, create strategy. Who knew what could trigger memories buried by Queen Metallia's energy to surface.

The mind was the most useful tool, but it was also a dangerous foe. Jedite's sharp mind was what made him dangerous now. Perhaps even more so, if Hecate failed her plan.

"Watch from secret, Malachite. Endmyion will never gain confidence if you lead by the hand. Just make sure nothing terrible happens."


	123. Subtle Noticing

Jedite had never been to this hot spring before, so he couldn't use his teleportation to get there. Not reliably, leastways. No trains ran that way, and Jedite had no need to drive a car before, so he had to hire a taxi to take him all the way there. Arranging it was a real problem, and Jedite was quite sure the company was trying to bilk him, but he didn't care right now.

Bilking aside, at least the driver made excellent time. It only took two hours to get there. Jedite was only planning on staying the weekend, so he only brought a few changes of clothes, although yukata would be provided while he was there as well.

The staff were very friendly and courteous when he arrived.

"Hello, Mister Hanson." The owner of the establishment was a friendly older man who was very courteous. He smiled back.

"It must have been a long trip from Tokyo." The owner smiled with a bow. "Head upstairs and rest a spell, and when you're ready, come on down to the hot springs."

"Thank you, that sounds wonderful." He would have needed to clean himself off anyway before he went down anyway. The kindly owner led him to his room, it wasn't very large but it was all Jedite needed right now. After the owner excused himself, Jedite put his suitcase down and checked his shoulder injury. It still hurt a lot, but thankfully, the bandage he applied was still holding, and there wasn't a trace of his green blood to be seen. As long as it stayed on, he should be fine.

He took a moment to change into his yukata, but just as he was about to take a walk outside, he heard a loud girl's voice just down the hallway.

"_So much for the quiet promised in the brochure." _Jedite tried to turn around and walk out the door, but then he heard another voice, an older's woman voice, say the name "Serena."

"Mom." The loud girl's voice sounded, and it did indeed, sound much like Serena. Jedite ducked back into his room, and then peaked open only slightly. He heard footsteps come closer, and watched a streak of blonde hair go by his door. Of course, with blonde hair styled in two ridiclous balls on the top, it was only a streak that he needed, when coupled with the voice, to know it was Serena.

How did she get here? She couldn't have followed him, no one knew where he was. A coincidence? That was depressing, Serena didn't exactly bring the serenity her name promised, more like a cataclysm of loud noises. So what did that mean, he teleport home, find a different relaxation place?

No, he was already committed here. He could just avoid Serena. This place was relaxing, and she was with her family. Even she knew, would she truly ditch them to stay around him? The family probably wouldn't approve, and have her stay close. He could that to his advantage. For now, he supposed he would check out the hot spring. His shoulder was starting to act up, and resting for too long just made him antsy.

* * *

"Serena's at a hot spring?" Amy asked with surprise during the Sailor Scout meeting at the Hikawa Shrine. Between Luna and Mina, Amy had been informed of everything that happened in the past two days, and it was a real blow. Jedite was discovered when a youma attacked him at the TV station. He beat it, but Saffron, his partner, saw him transform.

After that, she knew nothing. Raye and Mina had gone to his apartment to see him but he disappeared, and he hadn't been back all night, according to the landlord of the building, when Raye went to see him again this morning.

"_Poor guy." _Amy thought. They had all planned to spend the weekend together, take his mind off everything with Darien, not knowing that this had all been dumped into his lap. Where was he? He could disappear if he wanted to, but he was usually too responsible to do that for long. He'd never leave with Queen Beryl to deal with.

"I don't think there's anything we can do about Jedite right now. He'll show back up when he wants to. For now, I can't believe that little sneak, going to a hot spring without telling us. Those are so good for the skin." Mina replied indignantly.

"Mina, she just went with the family, so Luna said. Just a family weekend trip." Lita shrugged. "Don't get bent out of shape."

"I'm actually a little worried, you know." Mina asked "She would have brought the Silver Crystal with her, right? She's not that irresponsible to leave it in her purse on the desk.

"You don't want me to finish that sentence." Raye chuckled. "But you know, I suppose that's true. I'd be a little worried too, because Serena had the crystal and she's all alone, with her family. They could be in danger, and she's by herself."

Amy could see where this was going, and she immediately started to protest. They were thinking of following Serena to the hot spring. Raye and Mina had already cast their lot, so Amy quickly looked towards Lita. But one look at the mischievous grin on her face stopped Amy's thoughts dead in their tracks.

"It's not like we could ask Jedite to teleport over there and give her some backup if we were worried. Someone's going to have to be there in case it goes sour." Lita remarked.

"This is..." Amy started, but realized the futility of stopping them. And in truth, a part of her she normally kept hidden wanted to go to the hot spring once she knew Serena had gone. They felt so marvelously good on the body, and Amy always loved being in water. Swimming was her favorite sport, but she loved a hot spring too.

"All right." Amy remarked. "Since we can't find Jedite, we should at the very least, make sure Serena and her family can enjoy the hot spring in peace."

"I knew you'd see reason!" Mina cheered. Even knowing all she knew, Amy still couldn't believe she got suckered into this.

* * *

With her entire family in the hot spring, Serena was really enjoying the warm feeling against her skin.

"_That this whole weekend was a surprise, that's even better." _Serena smiled. Sammy was a little leery about the whole thing, he was still such a kid. So Serena ignored him, let her parents talk to him. Once he eventually got in, Serena stepped out for a second. There were a number of vile tricks that could be played on her, and her prankster little brother would certainly do it.

So Serena took a look out towards the lake. It looked very pristine, so very much not like her home in Tokyo. She hoped they'd walk on the shores later, although she really wanted to do that with Tuxedo Mask.

"_I hope we can save you soon." _Sailor Moon thought as she looked over the lake again.

"Serena?" She could hear her mother's voice coming beside her. "You like the lake?"

"Yeah...isn't that where you met Dad?"

"It is. You know, there's a story about that lake. They say a woman from the Heavens espied a man from the Earth, and immediately fell in love. She came to the Heavens to see him, and he loved her too, but another woman whom he did not love grew jealous of the pair, and that jealousy turned her to a monster. The lovers used their powers to seal her in the lake. And that's why it's said that couples who propose marriage here will have all their jealousy taken by the monster instead of hardening their own hearts."

"That's so sad, and romantic." Serena chuckled.

"Well, that felt really good in the hot spring, didn't it?" Her mother smiled.

"Yeah, Mama."

"Why don't we take a family walk down to the lake?" She offered, and Serena accepted.

"I'm just gonna go clean myself off, and get my locket." Serena smiled, turned away, and began to walk back towards the lodging, toweling herself off a little.

She heard a wincing sound in one of the other hot springs, a man's voice groaning with a slight pain, following by the sound of him easing into the water. Curious to see if the man was all right, perhaps he merely tripped or something, she snuck a quick peek in one of the other hot springs.

That was empty, save for a single person. A man, slightly older. Blond hair, a thick bandage on his right shoulder. His head was leaned back for a second, but he propped it up shortly after, and Serena could get a good look at him.

It was Jedite, no mistaking. He was here, why? She didn't hear a thing about this. Was it for the show or something?

But then she took another look at him, and he looked so...so sad. He'd been a little distant for a while, but he seemed all right. She had planned to spend the weekend together with the Scouts with him before this surprise family trip came up.

Maybe that was a mistake. Perhaps he needed a friend to talk to. Not right now, of course. Her father would flip if she was alone in a hot spring with him. But after that. That would be a good idea.


	124. The Lake Meeting

His shoulder felt a lot better after being in the hot spring. He was a little worried about the wound reopening, but he didn't submerge it, and everything was fine. He fastened his yukata securely and decided to walk back and see what else this hot spring had to offer. However, it didn't take long for him to realize he was being followed.

While the lake nearby had a strange aura of dark energy Jedite couldn't exactly pick up on, there wasn't any in his immediate vicinity. He could hear footsteps, moving as he moved, but when Jedite stopped suddenly, the footsteps immediately darted out of sight. Whoever it was, it wasn't a youma or anyone related to Queen Beryl, neither was it anyone very good at the art of stealth. Probably some crazed fanboy of Harvey Sigurd's or something.

He sighed, so much for relaxation. Jedite supposed he could have gone anonymously if he wanted to, but didn't think it would matter. And it would be very odd to disguise himself now, and having the owner of the establishment suddenly notice that Jedite's hair was red or however he disguised himself.

He went towards his room, where the footsteps still followed. He ducked into his room, and waited until the footsteps got close. Once they did, he immediately opened the door, and the person on the other side fell down on the floor with a resounding thud.

"If you're considering a career change, I don't suggest cat burglar." Jedite scolded the nosy person.

"Owowow." Wearing yukata just like him, the person at the door was unrecognizable at first. But as soon as Jedite took one look of the ridiculous blonde hairstyle, he knew he knew this girl.

"Serena." Jedite stated without a hint of surprise. He had seen her before, and it was really foolish of him to assume she wouldn't notice him.

"You're mean sometimes. If you knew I was following you, you could have said something."

"I didn't know it was you, not at first."

"What brings you here? I'm here on a family trip." Serena made conversation, but Jedite wasn't in the mood for it now.

"You should get back to them, then. I'm not here chasing some lead or anything on Queen Beryl's position. I'm just Jed here, so nothing we need to team up for."

"But hey, that doesn't mean we can't pal around together, can we." Serena smiled. "You've never met my family."

"If you recall, I'm sort of different from most people, since I'm not human." Jedite replied.

"But they're huge fans, and I think they don't believe me when I say that I know you."

"Serena, not right now." Jedite shrugged, gently pushing her off his body.

"Are...are you all right?"

"I am fine. Perhaps another time, I think I am going to take a nap, so excuse me." Jedite turned back into his room. In a way, he did feel bad not talking to Serena. He was quite certain she didn't know anything that happened with Mina and the studio, or she would have mentioned it. But she was still concerned, potentially about Darien. He came to get away from those things.

So Jedite laid down and pretended to sleep until he heard Serena's footsteps walk away. Instead of sleeping though, he just looked at the ceiling for a moment.

"_Why don't you take your mind of it indulging Serena's family. If things go belly-up with Saffron, you'll never enjoy it again." _He wondered to himself.

But he couldn't indulge that thought further, for he felt something that caused him to bolt straight up. A dark presence was nearby, something quite powerful. Did Beryl track him here, and send someone more competent this time?

While there was definitely a dark presence to the energy, it had a strange flow to it. Instead, it felt like two streams of energy mixed together. One that was dark, one that was not, one that was human, a powerful human at that. It reminded him of the time Molly and Princess Diamond were being manipulated by Nephrite to steal the supposed "Imperium Silver Crystal" from that gala so long ago.

What could that mean? Serena was here, did the enemy track the Imperium Silver Crystal here?

The energy was by the lake, and Jedite looked outside his window, which gave a good view. The lake was pristine, and tranquil. There was a dark presence underneath but it seemed sealed somehow, unaccessible. That wasn't the presence he felt so powerful anyway. It was a little difficult to make out from the distance, but there was a man standing at the shore, looking out over the lake.

"_That's the one." _Energy didn't lie, and Jedite observed closely. He didn't look to be anything more than a normal human, but perhaps he had a special power to him, something that would make him useful to manipulate.

And the man turned his head, and Jedite was glad he was on his knees looking out the window, for he surely would have fallen over. The distance may have been great, and perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him, but it was almost like he was looking straight at Darien.

Jedite shook his head, but the sight didn't go away: That man was no hallucination.

There weren't many people here, and Jedite could teleport safely into the woods. Trick or not, he needed to see this himself. He owed it to his sanity, no matter the danger.

* * *

Malachite sneered as he surreptitiously watched Prince Endymion from the trees. It was very difficult to hide when one could sense energy, but Endymion probably expected this, and didn't even seem to notice. He stared at the lake for the longest time. Malachite himself could feel the energy from the lake, but dismissed this whole endeavor as useless. It did not find the Silver Crystal, nor lead them closer to the traitor, it was a waste of time.

"_I'll do it for you, love." _Zoicite deserved better than he got, and he would make sure Jedite would intervene no more. That man would suffer for his sins. But finding Jedite was not easy, and impossible now, that Malachite was baby-sitting this kid.

Prince Endymion turned away from the lake and started to walk down the shore a bit. But he didn't get far before Malachite heard a name called.

"Darien!" It was a man's voice, followed by a hurried jog. Malachite watched a blond man dressed in yukata hurry along to Prince Endymion.

"_What did he call him?" _"Darien" was the name that Endymion's human self used. This man...this blond man, he knew Darien before Beryl brainwashed him. This was exactly the sort of thing that Malachite hoped to avoid. Brainwashing was tricky, and triggers had a way of overcoming it: The mind was complex, and its mysteries limitless.

"Who?" Prince Endymion returned.

"It is you. Darien, it's me, Jed. We're neighbors." The man replied. So he was familiar with Prince Endymion's former self. Very familiar. And what was this strange energy the blond guy had. It was powerful, and dark too. Endymion was formerly acquainted with someone like that?

"My name isn't Darien. It's Endymion." Prince Endymion denied. "You must have the wrong person. Excuse me." And Endymion turned around and started to walk away. The blond guy, Jed, frowned, and then turned in the opposite direction. He paused slightly to look into the trees, almost directly at Malachite.

"_No, he can't see me." _Malachite was concealed, the trees were dark. He was just thinking, presumably about Endymion's reaction to what he said.

For a second, Malachite thought to tail that Jed guy. He could only be a nuisance down the road, a potential thorn for Prince Endymion's fragile brainwashed mind.

But then Malachite turned to look at Endymion. He was looking at the blond guy, with a pensive look on his face. And then, Malachite hatched his own idea: If Endymion was to regain his memories, or if this association was to weaken him, Beryl would take him back to be brainwashed again. A process she herself oversaw, one that took a lot of time.

Time that would leave Malachite free to his own devices, like finding the Crystal or Jedite without the nuisance of Beryl's oversight.

And then, Malachite laughed, and decided that Jed served more of a purpose alive.


	125. An Unlikely Ally

Prince Endymion eyed the stranger, this odd man named Jed, as he departed for the longest time, and he found himself quite curious. Not in what was said: He was Prince Endymion, not this man named Darien. In that, Jed was sorely mistaken. However, the power of that man's energy was incredible. While not on the level of Malachite, Jed eclipsed whatever was sealed in the lake by far.

And another idea came into his mind: Queen Beryl had told him to ascertain whether or not this dark power was worth into the fold. Perhaps what was inside the lake wasn't worth it. But that didn't mean there weren't other sources elsewhere, like Jed. Was he drawn to the sealed energy too? Were there others like Queen Beryl who sought the crystal for themselves?

Competition could not be allowed, and, if it threatened them: Darien would not hesitate to wipe out Jed. But was he competition? If Jed merely was trying to accrue power, that could actually be workable. Someone that mercenary might make a very suitable ally. There was much Beryl could do for her subordinates. It was a pity the Shitennou could not grasp this: Malachite thought too much of his weak lover, who was, according to Beryl, far more talk than action. Nephrite was too indecisive, distracted, he lacked focus, and with that came his downfall. And Jedite, the less said about the traitor the better.

This was why Beryl trusted him. He was not the failure, he could be trusted to move. He would get the job done.

The sealed energy was not going anywhere. For now, Endymion would trust his instincts, and investigate Jed further. If there was potential, it could be used. If it was a danger, it could be crushed.

* * *

Back in his room, Jedite began to think on his encounter with Darien. Part of him cursed himself for being that reckless. He knew Darien was brainwashed by Queen Beryl. What could Jedite possibly have hoped to accomplish with a simple chat? Considering Darien's history as Tuxedo Mask, who knew what sort of crazy powers "Endymion", or whatever he called himself now, could conjure. And if Beryl knew who he was, who knew what she deigned to share with her little brainwashed puppet. He could have walked straight into an ambush.

But still, part of Jedite needed to see Darien face to face. Perhaps there was something he could learn from his energy flow, perhaps get a sense of how Beryl's brainwashing worked. If he had that, so he told Serena, there may have been a way to disrupt it.

There wasn't, not that he knew of. The Silver Crystal may have been the only way to fix that. Jedite wasn't sure of it, but it had the power to give Queen Beryl pause, and destroy Queen Metallia. The dark energy of Darien was very much like Queen Metallia's, and the crystal sealed her away. That was as best as he could figure.

He could still feel Darien's energy nearby, hard to mistake the dark energy coupled with Darien's own. And he could feel it close by. If Darien was interested in the lake, which he seemed to be before Jedite went to find him, he wasn't anymore.

"_Odd." _If Darien was informed by his new mistress to go after "Jedite, the foul traitor", surely Beryl would know he could sense Darien's energy. Hiding served little purpose, and neither would watching, hoping to find an unguarded moment. When could one be unguarded if they knew they were being watched?

So Endymion didn't know who Jedite was. Either Beryl didn't tell him, and this split within the factions of the Negaverse was greater than he thought, or Beryl didn't see him disappear. With the show on hiatus, Harvey Sigurd didn't need to be seen anyway. Perhaps that was an advantage. He could take some other persona, use that as his disguise: Beryl may be able to predict he'd make that move, but Earth had billions of people around, she couldn't go up and meet every single one.

It would require more thought, time that could be devoted to it after he dealt with Darien here.

Dealing with him would be delicate. Luckily, though, Jedite had his own ace up his sleeve with Serena, also here, with the Silver Crystal, presumably. For now, though, he would wait. Darien would be watching, and he couldn't expose his hand too soon.

* * *

"Wow, this place is fantastic." Lita remarked with a smile as she could see the hot springs coming up in the distance. She'd never been to one before, but once the scheme had been devised to go, Lita reasoned she may as well enjoy it too.

"Thank you so much for this Chad." Raye was very polite to Chad, who only blushed and chuckled and said it was nothing. Lita had thought Chad was just a struggling rockstar, but it seemed he came from money and could actually afford such things. Whenever Lita tried to talk about it, Chad clammed up, and Lita wouldn't push it. He was doing them a favor, that was all that needed to be said.

"So, uhhh, where do we find your friend Serena here?" Chad wondered.

"Chad, let's get checked in first." Amy remarked. "It can't be too big if we all split up. Should I go with you?"

"No, I can handle it myself." Chad chuckled again and headed inside.

"We could just use the communicators." Mina shrugged. "After we check out the hot springs of course."

"We may have to put that on hold too. I sense evil presences here. Powerful and multiple." Raye's eyes narrowed.

"Really?" Amy frowned, and immediately pulled out her microcomputer.

"Yeah, more than one, definitely. At least three."

"Could the Negaverse be here? Malachite, Darien, and a youma?"

"It doesn't feel like a youma. Do they have a new ally? And why would they be here?" Lita asked.

"Chasing Serena?" Mina asked.

"How would they have found her?" Amy quickly pointed out. "It was Jedite they saw, she was never there. Serena didn't do anything that would give her away." Lita had to acknowledge that. On the day Mina went with Jedite to the studio, Serena, Amy, and Lita all spent the day together, picking out some new clothes and then studying for the exams. Nothing that would scream "Here's the Moon Princess" to their enemies. In fact, Mina wasn't able to explain anything about what happened until the next day, which was today. And Serena had disappeared before then.

"So...why are they here?" Mina asked. "They can't be looking for Jedite, I mean, he wouldn't be here, would he?"

Lita didn't know, but it didn't seem pretty. There were at least three bad guys here, ruining their hot springs weekend.

They were crossing the line this time.

* * *

Hours passed, and Jed didn't seem to do much of anything. He sat in the hot springs a while, ate a little, some simple sushi and rice, and all in all, didn't seem to be doing anything like accruing power. He didn't seem at all interested in the sealed power in the lake, or of doing much of anything. Was he this slothful? Or did he think he was being watched.

Endymion scowled. How was he supposed to ascertain whether to go after this Jed or deal with the sealed lake spirit? Jed was the superior in power, but power was nothing unless Queen Beryl could use it. Every step must push forward, even if the path isn't the one envisioned, she had said once.

Endymion waited outside, out of sight of a group of girls walking up towards the dwelling where Jed was. He looked out over the lake, and he could feel the energy, restrained and corralled like a stallion shoving against a cage. It wanted to be released, it's pain and hate could be felt deeply to those sensitive to such energies.

Could such unchecked emotion be useful, it could very easily be uncontrollable. Jed was more reserved, but reserved to the point where Endymion wondered whether this man even knew what his own potential was. Which was more useful?

A second later, Endmyion laughed to himself. He didn't know the answer, that was true. That didn't he couldn't find out. Force Jed to use it, and Darien could witness it. Release the caged beast, and see if the man could contain it. A test, of sorts, to see which power would be the best: Uncontrolled emotion or precision? Jed's fight may simply have been for survival now, but if he won here, who knew just what more he could be under Queen Beryl. A subordinate to work with, and perhaps even a worthy replacement for the ineffectual Malachite.

Darien teleported quickly to the beach. The dark power was still there. Concentrating his own power, Darien prepared to release the seal.


	126. Evil Unto Evil

It didn't take long for Endymion to attempt to wake the creature before he could feel something happening. The presence at the bottom of the lake began to move, and stir. Erupting from the center of the lake like a volcano, a scaled creature with large claws and pink hair emerged.

"Spirit of the Lake!" He commanded it. "I am the one who unsealed you. You will obey my commands!" The monster's eyes narrowed into slits as it regarded him on the beach.

"Not a chance!" The monster snarled. "If you think I'm going to take orders from a little twit like you. I have bigger plans in mind. Where is that woman." The monster growled.

"_Woman?" _Endymion wondered. The supposed legend of this hot spring was that the monster was a jealous woman scorned by a man who loved a woman from the Heavens. Stories were often rubbish, but sometimes, they had elements of truth to them. Whether this was some ancient woman turned monster or not, it could be used, or so he thought.

Without paying him another thought, the monster rose up into the sky and took off into the distance.

"Get back here!" He ordered. His plans were not going to go awry now. He was going to get his ally one way or another.

* * *

Serena and her family were taking a relaxing walk in the woods. So far, she hadn't told them Jedite was here, even though her mother was a huge fan of his show. What had gone on with them that made him so down, did Mina and Molly mess up at the studio? No, that wouldn't upset him. And why was he here, anyway? He was allergic to relaxation, fun, or anything that wasn't "his duty": He was even more of a wet blanket than Amy and Raye put together.

"Serena, hurry up you slowpoke!" Sammy shouted angrily. He was always so annoying, and she growled as she ran up towards him.

As she did so, she heard the sound of a lot of birds squawking nearby, and the sound of many of them flying away from the lake.

"_Wow, something sure scared them." _She thought.

"Serena, there you are." Her mother smiled as the two kids rejoined their parents.

"Daydreaming again?" She asked wistfully.

"Knowing Serena, she probably stopped to get something to eat." Sammy teased.

"Now, now. It's starting to get dark out." Her father silenced any arguments. "Why don't we turn in for the evening." Serena nodded. It would be easier to check on Jedite when he was indoors as well.

But then, Serena heard a noise. A growl, a scream.

"What was that noise?" Her father wondered.

"You!" A loud voice screamed, and Serena could her the sound of crashing as something was moving its way very quickly towards her. She barely had time to move as she saw the most hideous monster emerge from the trees. Shaped like a snake, completely scaled with pink hair.

"I've finally found you!" The snake-woman shouted, glaring at Serena. She had no idea what a creature like this wanted from her, and she really didn't want to find out. Was it the Negaverse? Did that mean Malachite, that powerful, horrible man, was here? Was Darien?

"Get...get away from my daughter!" Serena's father, valiantly holding a tree branch as if it was a quarterstaff, moved towards the beast and tried to attack it. It didn't seemed fazed at all, and with a flick of it's tail, smacked her father across the face, knocking his glasses off and sending him to the ground.

"Dear! Sammy, Serena, get out of here!" Her mother shouted.

"Dad!" Sammy was too paralyzed to move.

"_Oh no!" _She had to help them, but she needed to disappear first and become Sailor Moon. She still had the crystal, tucked safely in her yukata along with Tuxedo Mask's locket. She could save them, she'd help her family.

The monster was looking towards Sammy, with a malevolent glare in it's eyes.

"Sammy!" Her mother screamed, but Sammy could barely move. He quaked in fear as he looked at the creature.

Before Serena's eyes, the monster moved towards him. She didn't have time anymore, the monster would hurt Sammy, hurt him badly. Not simple teasing or a bop on the head, this was real.

She was about to finger her locket. Secret or no, she couldn't let her family get hurt if she could prevent it.

But before she watched a flash of black dart towards Sammy and quickly move him out of the way, as the beast charged forward into nothing but empty space and collided into the tree behind where Sammy stood.

"_What?" _Serena was relieved, but who was it that saved Sammy? It seemed to go up into a tree. Serena followed the direction to see Jedite crouched up in the tree, Sammy in his arms. Quickly, he jumped back down.

"You'd best move, right now." Jedite told Sammy sternly.

"But..." Sammy started.

"If you stay, you will die." Jedite delivered darkly. A bit harsh, but he needed to get far away from here. Whatever this rampaging beast was, her family needed to be far away from it. Sammy seemed to get the hint and ran off.

"What are you?" The creature hissed at Jedite, who stared daggers back at the creature.

"Just a man." Jedite did not drop his battle stance, but did not attack either. He stood and watched, prepared, keeping the beast's attention.

Perfect for Serena to go get transformed. She slinked off to get it done.

* * *

Jedite was about to take his evening meal when he felt the dark presence stir. The one in the lake became...stronger, more belligerent, as if released from a cage. And as soon as it came out, it started to move. Move very quickly.

Was that...was that what Darien was here for? He had to check it out. It seemed even on his vacation, these creatures did not stop.

He teleported down to where the presence was with enough time to watch it attack Serena and what appeared to be her family. After rescuing her little brother and sending the family away, Jedite stared down the beast.

Pure, unadulterated jealousy and rage. That was all he could sense from this creature. What could Queen Beryl want with such a thing, it could scarcely be controlled. Like Zoicite without the lust for achievement and pride.

"So..." Jedite heard a voice from behind him, and didn't need to look to know it was Darien's.

"You unleashed a monster like this?" Jedite's tone was quite critical. Darien had power with his new self, Endymion, but he really wasn't experienced at using it, and it showed.

"Perhaps I did." Darien tried to act coy, Jedite wasn't convinced. Malachite would have never even remotely considered this.

"What happened to 'my old friend' Darien?" He asked. "Surely your beloved neighbor wouldn't do a thing like this."

"I thought you said your name was Endymion?" Jedite returned. This was not his friend, Darien truly wouldn't have released a beast: Tuxedo Mask may not have played on the same side as he did, but he was a force that opposed Beryl and unfocused evil like this.

"I will use it for it's purpose, and then discard it, as all things should be." Darien replied. "What will you do, Jed? Is this not your world, your people this creature attacked?"

Jedite was perplexed for a moment. Was this not Beryl's mission, then? It didn't seem to be, but Beryl would never have given a subordinate this much leeway, this had nothing to do with the Silver Crystal.

But he didn't have enough time to be so, for the creature noticed Jedite's lack of concentration, and went for a strike.


	127. Letting Go

Jedite barely time to register what Darien was saying before the monster began to make it's attacks. Darien was doing this...to gauge Jedite's own reaction? What on Earth was he planning, it made absolutely no sense. Beryl would not be telling him to "watch the traitor's movements", Jedite could sense him too easily, and she knew that.

So...did Darien not know he was Jedite? Why would Beryl not share such a thing?

Jedite jumped into a nearby tree to avoid the monster's attack, retaliating with an energy blast from his fingertips. He didn't want to use his telekinesis now: That was his hallmark, it would give him away as the Negaverse's traitor.

He could feel Darien nearby, his presence cloying, hovering overhead like dripping oil. It was hard to ignore, even when the beast attacked again, clipping Jedite and knocking him to the ground.

"Hold it!" Jedite could hear Sailor Moon's voice calling from the distance. So, she'd arrived after all, ditched her family. Good.

The monster hissed and looked with it's lidded eyes at Sailor Moon, hissed, and ignored Jedite completely to charge after her.

"Accursed woman." Jedite heard the monster shriek. Serena screamed as it moved towards her. He stepped forward and prepared to assist.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Another familiar voice, and a familiar attack, collided into the monster from the rear.

The Sailor Scouts? They were here too? Jedite hadn't seen them since he'd arrived, so it must have been a recently occurrence.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury followed suit, blanketing the area in fog. Surely then, the other Sailor Scouts would have also been around: Amy and Mina would not have come to a hot springs themselves.

This battle was well in hand, the Sailor Scouts could handle it so very easily. Jedite used the cover of Mercury's bubbles, but he used it to disappear from the battle. He needed to find Darien, all alone. And deal with him one way or another.

* * *

Sailor Moon was surprised to see that the Scouts had come to aid her in this fight: She didn't even know they knew where she was. Luna must have told them, she left a note for her, after all.

Happy to see them, she was soon surprised to discover Jedite had disappeared in the struggle. Where did he go, he never backed away from a challenge before.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars intercepted the creature, stunning it with a blast of flames.

"All right, let's see if I can moon dust this thing!" Sailor Moon let fly her tiara, and while it was a direct hit, and the monster exploded in a white light, it reappeared a second later, looking angrier, but not any bit weakened.

It roared and hissed, rushing towards Sailor Moon yet again. She hit the dirt to escape it.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Mercury threw out another obscuring fog, and Sailor Moon was able to get to her feet.

"How could that thing not be dusted?" She growled.

"Sailor Moon, just wait!" After the fog started to fade, Sailor Mars made her way towards her.

"I can sense something...off about this creature." Sailor Mars explained. "It's not a youma at all, in fact, it almost feels like a spirit...a human spirit."

"A human spirit?" Sailor Moon asked. This snake creature, a human? If it didn't come from the Negaverse, where did it come from, and who brought it out?

"_Like...the legend from the lake? Is it real?" _Serena wondered.

"Evil spirit, begone!" Mars, ofuda in hand, charged the creature, leaping forward and attaching it right to the creatures face.

"Argh! Argh!" The monster screamed and writhed.

"Now!" Sailor Mars ordered.

"Right!" Sailor Moon gripped the Crescent Moon Wand. This may not have been a youma, but it was a former human, so Mars said. Sailor Moon could trust in Mars.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon unleashed the energy of the Silver Crystal. The beast did not disappear and blink back to sight like it did when her tiara struck it. Neither did it roar and scream and try to attack her again. The eyes of the beast widened, and for the first time, seemed to soften. A soft silver light began to glow from the creature's scaly body, becoming too bright to see. And then the light faded, and in the monster's place was something entirely different. A woman, dressed in bright silks, beautiful embroidered silks that Sailor Moon had only previously seen in paintings.

She looked with a smile towards the Sailor Scouts, and then faded into a misty form, and out of sight completely.

If that was the spirit of the lake, then the power of the crystal healed her, healed her jealousy. She could pass to the Heavens freely now. Serena smiled. Free of her hate and jealousy with the power of the crystal. That's what Darien had, whatever Queen Beryl did to him had the real him buried underneath. She could free him, she knew she could now more than ever.

"Soo...Serena, trying to skip out on a weekend at the hot springs, and didn't even invite us!" Sailor Jupiter began to tease.

"Come on, my family sprang it on me." Sailor Moon joked a bit.

"I understand, but we should have worked something out. What if you were alone here and the Negaverse attacked." Sailor Mercury replied. She was right, Sailor Moon hated it when Mercury was always right.

"I wasn't alone, Jedite was here too." She affirmed.

"He is?" Sailor Mars asked. "Where?"

* * *

Jed had walked down to the lakeshore, slipping away from the battle when Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts came to fight. How odd, that he would not stick around. Did he have some sort of problem with the Sailor Scouts? With his dark energy, perhaps that may have been the case. He paused on occasion as he walked, as if looking over his shoulder to see if he would be attacked by the monster or by the Sailor Scouts, but after a quick glance, he resumed walking.

He did not stop until he reached the lakeshore.

"Endymion, how long do you intend to watch me do nothing?" He asked. Endymion paused for a second, he knew he was being watched.

"Are you so surprised? I've felt your oily presence cloying over me ever since you've announced yourself. What do you want?"

"I wanted to see. See what it was you could do. It seems I may have wasted my time."

"Poor unfortunate soul." Jed shrugged.

"Why do you stand for this? Do you not understand your own potential. I saw the power you had, what little you decided to unleash. And unlike a human, you were calm around that creature."

"What can I say, I'm a talented man." Jed shrugged. "We've never met, you said."

"I think I'd remember meeting one with power like yours." Endymion remarked. Jed paused for a moment.

"I see. How interesting. Well, you saw what you wanted. Do you want to fight now?" Jed challenged. "I can't believe you'd unleash such a chaotic beast for the sake of a mere test."

"There was more to it than that. And it seems you're not interested in understanding the merits. You're a threat to me and to my mission."

"I don't know about your mission. Do you want to fight?" Jed replied, but Endymion could sense something...off in his voice. It warbled just a bit when he said mission. But the two of them had never met. If this Jed was some kind of enemy, like the Sailor Scouts, wouldn't Queen Beryl have told him about him? The only enemies Endymion knew were the Sailor Scouts and the traitor. None of them were humans. It must have been something else.

"Another time." Endymion replied. He'd wasted enough time on this detour. He needed to head back to Queen Beryl.

"_Jed." _Endymion remembered that name. He was sure that man would come up in the future somehow. On what side, though, could be anyone's guess.

* * *

After the battle was over, all of the girls went into the hot springs. While it felt really good on Raye's skin, she had her mind set elsewhere. She couldn't help but think of Jedite, who apparently came here for a vacation. That was so unlike him, what would cause such a thing.

Was he truly that down? That he felt the need to unwind alone? Mina had told her the story of what happened, but Raye truly had difficulty understanding what exactly it meant: Saffron saw Jedite transform, knew he was something different from human, and it scared her. Part of Raye didn't get it, she never really fit in anywhere, and lots of people said things about her, her powers and whatnot.

He may not have had family, like Grandpa, but he had them, at least. And he'd been better at adapting. Perhaps that was merely the straw that broke the camel's back, however the saying went.

But still, she wanted to go see him. She got out of the hot springs and started to towel herself off.

"Where ya heading off to, Raye?" Serena asked.

"Which room is Jedite's?" Raye asked.

"Ooh." Serena got a sly look on her face, and Raye immediately regretting asking. This was gossip-worthy and Serena would run with it. Then again, how else would she have known which room was his?

"If you wanna peek, the best time to do it is when he's in the men's hot spring." Serena teased.

"Cut it out, meatball head!" Raye only shouted, she didn't want to start a confrontation now.

"He's down the hall from me, last one, same floor." Serena shrugged.

"Great." After she got changed, she could go see how he was. She hurriedly fastened her yukata and walked towards the door.

"_Hey, Jed. How are you doing?" _She rehearsed, making sure to use his human name. There was little privacy to be found here, so prudence was the best course of action. She didn't want to sound too hovering, too overly concerned. She just needed to act casual.

As she was rehearsing, however, his door opened, and Jedite stepped out. And Raye saw his long face, the stubble on his chin marring his normally perfectly kept face, bags under his eyes.

But he tried not to show it as he spoke.

"Good, I was looking for you." Jedite nodded towards her.

"For me?" Raye asked.

"All of you. I think I have a plan."


	128. The Split Plans

Once all of the girls were assembled, Jedite told them what he had deduced from his meeting with Darien earlier today.

"There seems to be a real schism between Beryl, Malachite, and Darien." Jedite delivered.

"Schism?" Serena asked. "What does that mean?"

"There's a split." Amy clarified. "It seems they're operating not with all of the same knowledge."

"Beryl seems to know that Harvey Sigurd and Jedite are one in the same." Jedite replied. "But she hasn't shared it with Darien or Malachite. If they did, Darien would never be trying to gauge me, and Malachite would be riding in with a vengeance. She's keeping this from them."

"Why would she do that?" Lita asked.

"Because she doesn't think they can handle it. For whatever reason it could be, she deems it necessary to run without their interference. But anyway, on to my plan. Darien is gauging me, testing my reactions to things like that monster he released from the lake."

"Gauging? Is he trying to recruit you to Queen Beryl?" Raye asked.

"But he doesn't know he's actually Jedite, he must just sense his energy." Amy clarified.

"Exactly. The point is, I can get close. Close enough to ambush him, catch him off guard. Weaken him in battle, and then Serena, you can turn the crystal on him."

"Will that work?" Serena asked.

"You told me it worked on that monster that was once a human, right? She may have been a spirit, but she was still human. It's not the same, but it's the best thing I can think of."

"So...he'll be de-brainwashed?"

"Even I'm not sure what would happen." Jedite replied. "Beryl wiped his memories and replaced them with ones putting her as his master: We're not doing that. It could very well be that Darien's mind won't be able to handle the stress of it."

"How bad?" Serena asked.

"Imagine what happens when you try to cram for tests, and multiply it by a thousand." Raye sniped.

"Hey!" Serena caught on about the insult in a second.

"There you go." Raye replied.

"Seriously though, he could become practically cataonic due to the overload of information. I wouldn't how the Silver Crystal does things, it could very well simply remove what Queen Beryl did. Anyway, so that's the plan: Continue as we were, but when Darien comes to make his next move, we ambush. Simple?"

"It sounds simple." Mina remarked. "I like simple. But if Queen Beryl knows where you are, then what are you going to do, Jedite?"

"Disguises are easy." He remarked. "I'll just pretend Harvey Sigurd doesn't exist for a bit: The show's on hiatus right now anyway so it's not necessary to begin with. I'll just stay in a hotel, I suppose. Beryl doesn't know enough about the human world to look for me there. Even I had to explain most things to her."

"All right, that's the plan, then." Lita smiled. "I'm all for it. If we get Darien away from that nasty witch, the better."

"I'm worried about Darien, what if his mind can't handle it." Amy puzzled.

"The Silver Crystal made us feel better when we fought Malachite." Lita answered. "Maybe it'll be more helpful then we think.

"And Darien could handle being Tuxedo Mask and his normal self just like we can. We might not be giving him enough credit." Raye added.

"Do you think Darien will go out without Malachite?" Mina asked.

"I could sense him nearby." Jedite answered. "But he didn't do anything when Darien approached me. He probably has his own agenda in mind. That wouldn't surprise me.

"I guess that covers it." Mina replied. "Let's go back to the hot springs and enjoy the rest of our vacation! We go back tomorrow, and we should enjoy it while we can!"

* * *

"So, Endymion, what a fantastic failure your little project turned out to be." Malachite freely chided his supposed partner back in the safety of their base.

"I seem to be the only one actively trying to further our mission." Endymion snapped back. Malachite chuckled.

"I am supposed to supervise you on your failures. Do you want me to show you how a mission is done?" Malachite offered.

"I saw a spectacular failure back when we attempted the hair-stylist mission." Endymion returned.

"What is this bickering?" Beryl's voice, booming from close by, silenced the both of them.

"Your Majesty." Endymion bowed, Malachite nodded his head, but did not show the toadying Darien did. The weak knew their place, the strong merely respected.

"You two, our mission is very important and you know this well. You need to work together on this mission."

"I much prefer to work alone, Majesty." Endymion replied politely.

"So do I." Malachite returned.

"Then see that it brings results, you two. Have you thought of a plan to lure Sailor Moon?" Queen Beryl asked.

"I have, your Majesty." Endymion bowed.

"As have I." Malachite quickly affirmed.

"You both have? Am I to guess from this split that you have not shared your plans with each other?" Beryl posed. Neither of them answered. Malachite hadn't, and he heard nothing from Darien. Not that he would have been impressed with it if Endymion did deign to share it.

"I think we should launch our plans concurrently." Endymion offered. "I think it may split the Sailor Scouts into two groups, and they'd be more manageable that way."

"And if all we get are Sailor Scouts that aren't Sailor Moon, what good would that accomplish? It doesn't matter if we kill the Scouts if Sailor Moon still has her Crystal: That is what threatens Queen Metallia."

"Sailor Moon is very protective of her friends. Her weakness is the suffering of others." Endymion returned sharply. "She won't allow it. She'll be vulnerable if it means we have them in our grasp."

"Perhaps." Beryl remarked. "The Sailor Scouts are no pushovers, and the traitor is with them as well."

"Bah!" Malachite scoffed. "Jedite may be a threat to Endymion, but not to me."

"You honestly think he is nothing, Malachite? Then why is it when you cornered him here, he got away?" Beryl asked.

"Jedite pulled a fast trick."

"And you think he won't pull one again? The traitor will be dealt with, Malachite, you are allowing your passions to override your mission. If you think you can gain results by yourselves, then unleash both of your missions simultaneously. Cast your net wide, Malachite, and you'll be amazed with what you catch." And Beryl teleported away, leaving both Malachite and Endmyion to stare for a moment.

And Endymion disappeared shortly thereafter, presumably to start his plan. Malachite knew he had to hurry.


	129. Make Your Move

On their last evening at the hot springs, Serena managed to get away from her family and all of the girls enjoyed the hot springs together. Raye never realized how good these really were, and they were so close by, too. Perhaps, when she was in college, she would come more often. Her finances permitting, of course.

The springs were mixed bathing, but Jedite had opted to go into a hot spring by himself. When pressed, he stated it would be inappropriate given the other girls's ages. While Raye would never debase herself to let other men leer at her, she wouldn't have minded if it was Jedite. Not much, anyway. He was polite and respectful, and, if he did sneak a peek, it would be an accident and no more.

So she and the girls leisurely chatted for a bit, but Raye soon found herself bored. They had exhausted all of their chatter since they had nothing else to do here with each other. Eventually, got herself out of the hot spring, fastened her yukata, and started to walk back towards the hot spring. Perhaps something cool to drink, that would be refreshing.

She stopped for a second to pull the hair out of her face, and tie it back in a ribbon: It could be so unmanageable sometimes. As she stopped, she noticed she was lingering outside another of the walled off hot springs. The one set aside for just males. While most hot springs were mixed, this establishment catered to all sorts of clientele.

That was where Jedite would be.

"_He seemed kinda down, after Darien and all. He may have made that plan, but I can tell he's upset about it." _Raye thought to herself.

"Boo!" A loud voice interrupted her thoughts, causing Raye to topple over.

"Don't do that!" She shouted, fully expecting it to be Serena and another one of her pranks. However, instead, it was Lita, her yukata fashioned, and crouched down a bit to startle Raye. Raye pulled herself up.

"Don't daydream in the middle of the walk. What were you doing by the men's hot spring, anyway?" Lita asked.

"I was fixing my hair. Yours is shorter, so it may be hard to get at times but..."

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Lita shrugged. "Tell me what you're really doing. You're trying to sneak a peek at Jedite, aren't you?"

"Hey!" Raye immediately scowled. If it was Serena, she might have hit her, but Lita could fight like none other, and a brawl between the two of them, both martial artists, could end badly.

"Called it." Lita nodded.

"You most certainly didn't!" Raye shouted.

"Look, Raye, I know you have a crush on him." Lita replied. "You could see it from space."

"Have you been around Serena too long, or has the hot spring addled your head. We're just friends, we work together. That's it."

"You say that like I haven't seen the way you two like to be around each other. The way your voice always softens when you talk about him, how you always wonder how he would go about tasks. And don't get me started on the things I get Amy to blab."

"He has the most experience with this stuff. I can't claim to know Queen Beryl's inner workings." Raye was getting annoyed, but also very flustered. It wasn't like that between her and Jedite. It was respect of equals, they fought as a team and grew each other in ways they would never have on their own. He came to terms with his exile, and Raye learned from him too. His calm, icy calm demeanor that kept focus when things were tough. The ability to recognize tough decisions, and act on them.

"Yeah, I'm sure you've convinced yourself of that. So let me tell you something Raye. If you like him, and I mean really like him, make a move. Because if you don't, who knows, someone else might beat you to the punch." Raye let Lita's words sink in, and by the time she could reply, Lita had disappeared.

"_Someone...would." _Make a move on Jedite? People had done that before. Serena's teacher, Raye remembered. No one who had knowledge of him as a being not human. No one who wouldn't be scared of his telekinesis, energy blasts, teleportation and other plethora of powers.

And then, Raye considered a question she had never thought of before.

"_Why shouldn't she?"_

* * *

Once Jedite made it back to Tokyo, he found a hotel that was fairly economical. He might miss his apartment, but Jedite did not truly need a classy place. The temple worked fine for meetings, and he only needed to sleep here.

If Darien was moving, then Queen Beryl was moving as well. If Darien was looking for aid, that might have meant Queen Beryl was not as certain of her victory as she thought.

"_Hmph." _She was always so cocky on her throne giving him orders, placing all fault with him. What would she think now, if he stood before her. "Traitor" may have been a base thought for Zoicite, or Malachite, but Beryl possessed intelligence. She would never think such single minded thoughts.

But there was no need for such thoughts.

"I'd like a room, please." Jedite told the doorman.

"Single or..."

"Just one." Jedite remarked. "I'll be staying for at least a week. I can work out more if need be." Jedite moved to sign the register. Jed Hanson, the name he made up on the fly so long ago. Perhaps some people knew that it was the real name of Harvey Sigurd, but Beryl's spies weren't that thorough.

The man at the desk gave him a key and gave Jedite directions to his room. Luckily, Jedite's disguise powers extended to his clothes in addition to physical appearance. He could leave the apartment empty for now.

He decided he'd need to go see the others to tell them where he'd be staying. While he could teleport, one never knew where Chad could be at the temple, to say nothing of Grandpa. He'd have to walk.

As he walked, he took in the sights of the city, keeping on the eye for dark energy. Darien was attracted to his dark energy. While "Jedite" may be beyond detection, Jedite knew that he himself, was not.

As he crossed the scramble crossing towards the Hikawa Shrine, the best place to find the girls, or at the very least, just Raye, he noticed the large screen high above the crowd that always displayed incredible tacky and tasteless ads. No sound, of course so the artist apparently thought the best choice of action was to be as outrageous as possible. Sometimes, Jedite didn't even know what they were attempting to sell.

This time, however, the message was quite clear. It featured exceedingly glamorous women, tuxedoed men, a full moon, and a balcony.

Right underneath it was a single line of text, large so that anyone down at the scramble could ready it.

"The Princess Ball." Jedite scoffed. He'd had enough of high-society affairs ever since his foray into Princess Diamond's ambassador gala. His opinion of the royal hadn't increased at all. And of course, his opinion of Queen Beryl, sitting on her throne barking out orders and Forever Sleep doing nothing at all, made him think even less of leadership. It seemed Sailor Moon fit Jedite's ideal of a leader more than anything, and he wasn't sure if that was depressing.

But another thought crossed Jedite's mind as he walked down the street. The Princess Ball? With glamorous ladies and the image of the full moon? It could so easily be a trap. Subtlety wasn't Malachite's specialty.

Or perhaps this was Darien's idea of luring Sailor Moon. With his mind wiped, he didn't have a wealth of experience to draw upon, and may not realize how incredibly obvious it seemed. Or perhaps it only seemed obvious to Jedite, who was used to making schemes that, in part, served to lure the Sailor Scouts.

Jedite had no desire to stay at a hotel, and his vacation left him only slightly rested, more frazzled due to Darien's appearance. In battle, he could focus. Perhaps that was all he could hope for.


	130. Quite Daring

"Raye!" Jedite strode up to the temple, and noticed the shrine maiden was busily feeding her two crows, Phobos and Deimos.

"Oh, hi!" She stood up eagerly to greet him, and Jedite smiled back at her.

"What brings you here?" Raye asked politely, and Jedite informed her about the ad he saw at the scramble crossing.

"The Princess Ball. Yeah, it's a trap all right." Raye admitted. So Jedite wasn't the only one who could see it.

"Please tell me my plans weren't that obvious." Jedite sighed.

"No, I can't say that they were." Raye returned, and Jedite laughed.

"I can't tell if it's Darien or Malachite though. If it's just Malachite, my plan won't exactly work."

"That guy is strong, isn't he?"

"Beryl cannot match his strength without assistance." Jedite delivered. "I'd avoid him if at all possible. Darien, though, that's what we need. We're going to have to play this one by ear."

"Sooo...ummm...Jedite, how would we infiltrate this ball?"

"Pretend to spring the trap of course, merely go in prepared. He can sense my dark energy, he'll move from there on his own." Jedite answered.

"I see..." Raye seemed a little distant today, as if she was having trouble concentrating.

"I, uhhh..." Raye started to speak, before she was interrupted by a loud scream. Not a scream of terror though, a squeal of complete and total delight. The two turned their heads to see Serena, clutching her fists together, a stupid smile on her face, and unable to stop from giggling.

"Do you need to use the facilities?" Jedite asked with a scowl.

"No, it's just...it's just...wonderful!" Serena got out between her excited squeals.

"I have the strangest feeling I'm not going to like this." Raye snarked.

"Is that a premonition?" Jedite asked.

"Like I need one for something that gets her excited." Raye continued, and Jedite laughed.

"I saw the most amazing sign today." Serena gleefully said, and Jedite was reminded that, even without his master subtlety, Serena managed to fall for just about anything.

"Let me guess, the Princess Ball?" Jedite snarked as powerfully as Raye. But Serena cocked an eyebrow to Jedite's response.

"Princess Ball?" Serena asked, and Jedite remembered his hotel was at the opposite direction of Serena's home, and she would not have passed by the scramble to see the ad.

"So...what are you talking about?" Jedite asked.

"I mean the Silver Moon Fashion Show, of course!" Serena smiled. "They're looking for girls to model dresses of all kinds!"

"Silver Moon Fashion...I'm not sure which is more obvious." Jedite growled, not sure whether he was angrier at his former employers for being so painfully obvious, or that Serena would have fallen for either of these plans.

"_Either of them is plausible." _And that bothered Jedite. The only people who would engineer a scheme were Malachite and Darien: Beryl would never send a youma to do such oversight. Would they have split up? Malachite didn't seem to assist Darien at the hot spring despite being close by, but this was...were they so split apart that they worked separately at the same time? Beryl would allow this? Her goal was the Silver Crystal, and there was only one of those. To engineer two schemes at the same time was...horribly inefficient.

"We should summon the scouts." Raye pulled out her communicator, and Jedite agreed. This got a lot more complicated.

* * *

"This is perfect." Malachite remarked to his youma as he oversaw his plans. Sailor Moon was the reincarnation of Princess Serenity, but as he understood it, reincarnation was not a perfect copy. Sailor Moon was a clumsy and awkward girl, easily frightened, hardly becoming of a princess of any kind, let alone the powerful Moon Kingdom.

So Malachite thought of the idea of an elegant ball to lure the Scouts. The Princess inside her would strive to be the most glamourous woman in attendance, but Sailor Moon would shine through. Malachite would not be on the lookout for the best woman, he'd be looking for the worst.

"Of course, my Master Malachite. I live to serve." His youma had been implanted in his target, grew to fruition and took over very easily. What was once Ambassador Christopher Cerino, third child of the royal family of a principality in Europe was now Botschafter, a youma who could be perfectly visible and completely hidden at Malachite's whim. A valuable tool, for sure.

"Once Sailor Moon reveals herself, we will strike and take that crystal from her, her corpse if need be." Malachite filled in. As far as plans went, it was simple on his end: Malachite would watch unseen, try to pick out Sailor Moon, while Botschafter looked from plain sight.

That little rat Endymion! He had no idea what he was dealing with. Smug arrogant prick, thinking that merely because he had Beryl's favor. Beryl could choose her whims as it suited her, but it took more than the Queen's favor to succeed. Jedite had that, after all. He was selected first on the missions thanks to his toadying. Look where favor without strength led him: Overconfidence and failure. Maybe that was why Malachite didn't like Endymion so much: Too much did that man remind him of Jedite.

"_Speaking of Jedite." _Malachite had another idea in mind with his little scheme. Sailor Moon would be attracted to this scheme just as he reasoned. But she wasn't the only person he was gunning for, Botschafter would serve another purpose. Darien could not command a youma like Malachite could, and Malachite's youma, being partially human, gave off a very unique energy signature. Such a thing would draw Jedite's attention. He was an ally of the Sailor Scouts, and only the Silver Crystal's power could return one of his youma to their pathetic human state. Sailor Moon would ask him to accompany her, to point the youma. When Sailor Moon was cornered, Jedite would appear, and then, vengeance would be his. One arrogant fool would be humbled, the other dead. Coupled with the Silver Crystal, it was the perfect trifecta.

* * *

"So, you think there's two schemes?" Amy asked as all of the Sailor Scouts assembled at the Hikawa Shrine.

"Yes." Jedite admitted.

"Why is it anything that comes along that's fun is some scheme." Serena pouted.

"I think you answered your own question." Jedite remarked. True, Serena's willingness to attend this scheme spoke volumes.

"What do you think would happen if we let one of the schemes go and all attended one?" Lita asked. "They might abandon the other one, and no problems caused."

"I doubt it." Amy replied. "If what Jedite said is right, Malachite and Darien don't seem to cooperate. They'd never help each other."

"So we split up." Raye remarked. "Who should lead each group?"

"Well, one of them's gotta be me, and I'm going to the fashion show!" Serena smiled. "That sounds so lovely!"

"Do we know who's running that one?" Mina asked. Jedite shook his head.

"Well, I'll go to the fashion show too!" She affirmed, patting Serena on the back.

"Great, now we need someone who's totally not distracted by fashion to watch those two." Lita laughed.

"Jedite, do you think you could handle it?" Amy asked.

"No, I don't think so." Raye returned.

"All I do is copy the catalogues and my disguise powers do the rest, I don't have a fashion obsession." Jedite quickly denied. Even Amy cocked an eyebrow at that specific denial.

"Err..." Jedite started.

"No, I mean, Jedite you have the most experience with the Negaverse. You should lead the other group."

"Well, yes, that is true, I guess. I suppose I should go to this ball, then. You girls can get invitations since young girls are invited, I'll just sneak in and bluff it, like always."

"Okay, that works." Raye smiled, and began to blush a bit, and Amy peered quizzically at her.

"So, who's going with Jedite?" Amy asked.

"Since Sailor Moon has the crystal, I may be need of some of your tactics, Amy. If Malachite's there, he's using a youma like the one you described at the hair salon. If I kill it, the human dies too. We may need to wear it down until Sailor Moon can show."

"I was thinking the same thing." Amy nodded. "Alright, Jedite, count me in!"

"We should split evenly." Mina noted. "That'll make it easier. So, Raye, Lita, whose going with who?"

"Well..." Raye started to talk, but before she could finish, Lita immediately spoke up.

"I'll go to the ball!" She stated eagerly.

"Really?" Jedite asked.

"Why not? I'm the best ballroom dancer I know, and I look darn good in evening wear." Lita chuckled.

"So...shouldn't you hit the fashion show?" Raye replied.

"Knowing us three, we'd get too caught up. Think of it as free Serena-busting time!" Lita laughed.

"You had to give her an invitation." Serena growled.

"But..." Raye started.

"Well, that makes sense, I guess." Jedite affirmed. "Amy and I can plan our strategy tonight, and we'll touch base afterwards. If we can pull this off, we can really make Beryl re-think her plans, make her really cautious. Even better if we get Darien back."

"You're a lot more positive than you've been, Jedite." Lita smiled.

"Well, focusing on this plan helps." Jedite returned, and Amy laughed too. It was nice to see him smiling again, even for a little while. And everyone else was smiling too. Until Amy's head drifted, and she saw Raye, frowning like someone had kicked one of her pet crows.


	131. Preparations

The ball was to start around evening, and was taking place in a grand party hall. Invitations were surprisingly easy to find: Being the famous Harvey Sigurd had it's advantages. While Queen Beryl may know Jedite's identity, Malachite and Darien did not know it: There'd be no reason why Beryl would tell them now if she was withholding it previously.

There many people in formal wear here, neither Jedite nor the girls stood out very much. Since couples seemed to be the norm here, Jedite decided to pass off Amy and Lita as his two younger sisters instead, and no one seemed to notice too much.

"There's definitely a dark presence here." It cloyed all over everything as Jedite informed Amy and Lita. They could not sense presences like he or Raye, but they knew it was dangerous. That was enough. He couldn't tell if it was Malachite or Darien though, so he needed to stay alert.

"Pardon me." A man's voice sounded from behind, and Jedite made room for him.

"Oh. You are...you are that actor, Harvey Sigurd." The man, dressed in an fancy suit with medals and other decorations adorning his coat.

"Yes sir." Jedite smiled back at him. Based on his costume, he must have been really important in this European country. He was the ambassador to this nation, pomp and ceremony would be his purview more than any other.

"A wonderful party, Ambassador. Shall we toast to our nations?" Jedite played very formally. He did not want to offend someone of this man's caliber.

"Ambassador Cerino, we must get started." A tuxedoed man, in significantly less decorative flair, came over to the ambassador.

"Pardon me." The ambassador ducked away, and Jedite smiled.

"He seemed nice." Lita smiled. "And he looks like my old boyfriend, too."

"He's an ambassador, Lita, diplomacy is what he does for a living." Amy answered.

"I think he's more than that. It was hard to tell with the evil presence surrounding, but it seems strongest from him." Jedite answered.

"So he's a youma? All the good ones..." Lita moped.

"That means Malachite. That's his technique for youma to implant into humans, and he wouldn't loan any of his youma to Darien." Jedite reasoned. "This won't be easy."

"Should we call for backup?" Lita and Amy both had their communicators hidden in their purses. The scouts could be here if need be.

"No." Jedite affirmed. "Malachite doesn't know I'm here, and the Crystal's safe with Serena. Let's just pretend that nothing is going on for now. She knows what to do with Darien. Let's just get to our table and pretend to be like any other good guests. It looks like the ambassador is about to give a speech."

* * *

It was very chaotic at the fashion show. Raye expected that, but still felt a little awkward. By contrast, Mina was loving every second of it. Serena would probably have loved it just as much, but Raye insisted she not participate. The Crescent Moon Wand, with the Silver Crystal, was inside Serena's purse, and in a fashion show, she could very easily get separated from it.

"_It's too bad you didn't think of that before you volunteered for this position." _Raye snarked to herself. Raye opted to stay out of the show as well: She wasn't here to look pretty, she was here to put the plan into action. Anyone she wanted to impress would be more impressed with that then some silly fashion show.

She could definitely sense a presence here, but it wasn't as strong as it was before. Not like at the beauty salon, or the hot springs. They were definitely split up, as Jedite said. But which one was it? If Darien was not here, the three of them could regroup with Jedite's group to implement the plan. If Malachite's plan did not produce the crystal, wouldn't he just abandon it? It made sense, Jedite said Beryl did not take kindly to dilettantish antics.

"Are you sure we can't..." Serena started to sweet-talk Raye, but she would have none of it. She was trying to concentrate more on the presence. It was not as powerful as the other forces she had come across, which could mean that perhaps she could pinpoint it. Find out who the real commanding officer was.

Part of Raye wished she could use the Disguise Pen, but according to Luna it only worked for Serena. Still, the presence seemed to be more concentrated backstage than out here in the audience.

Mina, busy participating in the contest, might not be able to reach her communicator. And as Jedite told her once, espionage was a tactic best suited for an individual.

"_It ends when you are discovered." _He had told her, and she remembered. Raye stood up.

"Where you going?" Serena asked.

"Just stay here, and keep me updated if something comes up." Raye informed her as she moved towards the stage.

"_Just stay committed." _She remembered Jedite's lessons on infiltrating, and posed as a stagehand. She acted like she belonged there, and no one bothered her, at all. Only one person ever asked her what she was doing, and she calmly replied to the man that she was making sure that the girls's busts were properly measured.

"We wouldn't leave that to just anyone." Raye replied, and the man seemed to believe her. It wasn't a great lie, but it wasn't about the words, it was about how they were said.

The presence was close by. It was harder to pinpoint since she was closer to it, but it seemed to be higher up than where Raye was currently.

"_This is a stage. The only place that's high up here and backstage is the catwalks." _Raye reasoned. So someone had to be there, then.

Looking around first to make sure no one was watching her, Raye carefully climbed up a nearby ladder. It was very hard to be quiet about it, but Raye tried her best. Peeking a head above the landing, she saw the feet of a person standing in the rafters, looking down at the stage, where many of the other fashion show finalists, including Mina, would be.

She pushed herself a little further to see if she could make him out better. He was wearing black. The usual Shitennou uniform was not black, but the disguise powers Jedite had could change his clothes into anything he wanted. And Nephrite had done that too. So could Malachite, presumably.

And then, her foot slipped and kicked out. Raye felt her head bounce against the lip of the landing. It didn't hurt, she wasn't very far above it. But she lost her grip, and started her fall back down towards the ground.


	132. Espionage

Before Raye fell down back to the unforgiving floor, she felt an arm grab her. A strong one, one that halted her descent very quickly.

"What are you doing up here?" It was Darien who had caught her. With him as a brace, Raye got back to the ladder and, having no need for discretion, stepped onto the landing. He caught her? The Negaverse's new number one general saved what was supposed to be a normal human? Even Jedite didn't do those types of things until he joined their side. Cruelty and disdain for humans was the norm, both from what she saw and from what Jedite had told her.

"I was...checking the stage lights. Making sure they were all in position, all the right wattage." Raye tried to string some words together from what little she knew of stagework. Part of her liked the idea of being a singer, but she didn't know the technical aspects very well.

"I see." Darien didn't seem to care much. He must have been focusing too much on his mission and, once Raye was safe, he barely acknowledged her, looking again at all of the people both participating in the show, and out in the audience.

"There's a lot of people here today. All this for a fashion show." Raye remarked. The fashion show promised a prize of a modeling contract, although Raye believed it was just a lie the Negaverse used to sell the illusion.

"I'm very serious about my work." Was all Darien managed to say. He wouldn't just let the Fashion Show go on and hope to find Sailor Moon, he had to be employing some sort of way to detect who would be Sailor Moon.

"What's the type of woman you're looking for?" Raye asked.

"That's something only I can figure out." Darien replied. "Go ahead, get to the lights. We start in a few minutes." He said insistently, and Raye knew any intelligence gathering would be over by this point.

She moved to the lights so Darien didn't discover she was anything different. She'd just have to be more vigilant from where she was back in the stands.

* * *

"Citizens of Japan, I greet you. Ever since the end of the Second World War..." Ambassador Cerino, unsurprisingly, was to give a speech . Leave it to Malachite to be thorough, Jedite himself would have done no less.

Jedite cared little for the speech, but watched the ambassador closely: The evil energy was strongest from him. It wasn't Malachite in disguise: The Ambassador existed long before Queen Beryl had arrived, so he was the youma.

Unlike he was able to do with Nephrite's, forcing the youma out wasn't an option. This one had been completely taken over by Malachite, and was as much a part of Ambassador Cerino as his human self. Only Sailor Moon would be able to cure him with her wand, and the girls would have to get into contact with her sooner or later. But if Malachite was here, Darien was there, at the fashion show. Sailor Moon should do him first: Simply thwarting Malachite was only going to maintain equilibrium, they needed to shift the balance.

Once the speech finished, Ambassador Cerino called for the first dance of the ball. Apparently, the men of his nation were to dance with the women of Japan. Was that how Malachite planned to pick out who was Sailor Moon, by their dancing? Had Sailor Moon ever danced before?

Well, while Amy and Lita were dancing, Jedite could sneak around and see if he could find Malachite, who would be watching from somewhere: He never got involved in his own schemes personally.

So while the dancing started, Jedite slipped away. Malachite's energy was too great to get a lock on where he was, the entire building reeked of him. But he'd be in a place with a good vantage point to see everyone, and out of sight so as not to be looked around the hall, and noticed a glass-walled booth on the ceiling, with the second floor. It was too dark too see through, but there appeared to be someone there.

That seemed the best place, but Jedite couldn't merely teleport there: Who knew if someone would discover him. He had to be stealthy: Jedite had no illusions about who would win in a fight between him and Malachite, painful as it was to admit. Jedite disappeared down a hallway with the excuse to find a restroom. The hall itself had no stairs, so the way up had to be elsewhere.

Eventually, just as the music was starting to speed up, he saw a set of stairs leading to the second floor, but it guarded heavily by two security guards. They looked very professional, and Jedite doubted that he could bluff them, even if he disguised himself.

"_Perhaps I'd best think of a different way._" Jedite was about to return to the party hall, when he hard a footstep behind him. Ambassador Cerino stood behind him, his mouth pressed into a frown.

"You seem a little out of place, Mister Sigurd."

"I'm looking for the restroom. And I admire your guards, they seem well-trained." Jedite bluffed. If this man was a youma, he might have been able to sense dark energy, but his senses would have been just as deadened due to Malachite's aura.

"I see." Ambassador Cerino did not look pleased, but seemed to accept it. He strolled past the guards and up the stairs.

"This isn't going to be good." Jedite wondered whether a tactical retreat would have been a better idea, perhaps check on Raye and Serena, see if they could implement the plan with Darien.

But that would leave Amy and Lita here, alone. The girls had powerful energy too, and if Malachite's senses were heightened, he might get curious about them. Jedite knew Malachite wanted him, to kill him for Zoicite. If he remained, he'd be a target, but Malachite would concentrate on him and not the girls. But that didn't mean Jedite would make it easy. He ducked into a hiding place, and changed the color of his hair from Harvey Sigurd's black to red, eyes to blue, and his tuxedo from white to black. More importantly, Jedite would make himself visible by others, be the life of the party. He'd never go alone, he'd stay in the crowd. Malachite would not attempt something if he thought both he and Sailor Moon were here. That's why Malachite didn't simply attack Tokyo in force to flush her out.

It was the best plan he could must in these circumstances.


	133. CounterSubtlety

The first event in the fashion show was runway. This did not surprise Mina at all: Pictures could be used in many different ways, but only strutting on a stage was the mark of a fashion designer and the runway exclusively. And this, Mina liked. The dresses made by this fashion designer were beautiful. A bit bulky, but absolutely princess material. It was a real shame Serena couldn't join her back here, but Raye was right when she said Serena couldn't get separated from the Crescent Moon Wand. And, considering Mina wasn't allowed to carry her purse, that certainly would have happened were she back here.

"_Ergh. I just wish these shoes..." _The shoes to go with the dress were very high heels, very hard to walk in. Mina never really did master the art of walking in such shoes. She tried to concentrate, imagine every point to step on the ground was a line, just like the old saying went. But her feet didn't seem to respond to that, and Mina only took about six steps before toppling over.

"Hope I don't do that on stage." Mina laughed at herself. The other girls in dresses seemed to look down on her. So she wasn't the most graceful, there was more to it than that.

Eventually, it came time to walk on the stage, and Mina summed up as much as she could. Her dream may have been to be an idol, and this was the start, this would open doors, teach her where to go next. Jedite had told her what happened to him was rare, and she should be prepared to work. If figuring out these shoes was the way to start her path to idol-dom, then that was what she'd do.

And it seemed as though she would, when it was her turn to walk out. Mina was able to see some of the previous girls, and most of them were able to handle it. She should be able to as well.

And as she stepped out onto the stage, she heard applause. The other girls got applause too, but this was for Mina herself. An announcer talked of the gown and the designs, but these were all things Mina had heard before. She walked down the stage, trying to focus not on her feet, but on her movement in general. This was the first time the world could see her, since _Precinct 52_ was on hiatus.

The smiles of the crowd and their cheers were intoxicating. For a second, Mina found it overwhelming. Unfortunately, that moment's lapse was all those stubborn shoes needed, and Mina slipped and toppled again. This time, for everyone else to see.

* * *

Girl after girl, and Endymion found himself getting increasingly more bored. None of these were Sailor Moon. They too graceful, too delicate, the type of girls to actually be princesses, rather than the klutzy and dimwitted behavior of her human self.

She couldn't have been more attracted to Malachite's ball. If he caught her, then he would be the superior in the eyes of his Queen. And that couldn't happen: Malachite was the ineffectual, petty cretin who lost the Rainbow Crystals to the traitor, there was no way he could be the superior planner.

As another came out, Endymion found himself astounded by what fools these humans were. How could they focus on these things? Were their lives this empty? Beryl's war may have been a secret one, but how could they even stand being around themselves, occupying themselves with nothing but trifles. The Silver Crystal could not come into Queen Beryl's hands soon enough. Endymion watched this girl basking in the praise of the others. Indulgant in fantasy. How foolish, the Queen and all who served her indulged reality only. Her brilliant face shown, and she looked utterly enraptured in the moment. If only such passions were put to better use.

And then, the girl fell. Most marvelously, it seemed she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. Endymion laughed to himself, and the audience did so out loud.

A pretender, she was. She looked a princess but did not have the grace of one. Like Sailor Moon was supposed to.

Any human could be a pretender, but it was a place to start, at least. Maybe now he could see whether or not his plan had merit. If it didn't, there was no point in continuing this farce.

* * *

"Master Malachite, I bring news." While Malachite was watching the dance floor, hoping to pinpoint the energy sources he deemed interesting, Botschafter, his youma, came in behind him.

"What is it?"

"I believe that the traitor is here."

"Is that so?" Malachite was intrigued. He had hoped Jedite would fall into this plan.

"Earlier I caught a troublesome guest curious to the layout of this place."

"Could he not merely be a human burglar?" Malachite asked.

"I do not believe so, a burglar would have been more attracted to a place less visible, or make his approach from outside, where it is darker. And his energy felt more like yours than a human's." And it was that which made Malachite pause. By itself, it meant nothing, but if this person was acting suspiciously, then it may have warranted a follow-up. If Jedite was here, Sailor Moon was surely nearby. Even if she wasn't, the traitor's head was a prize Malachite wouldn't mind claiming.

"Who?"

"He called himself Harvey Sigurd. An actor. I don't know much of him, but the traitor has his guise." Was Jedite attempting to disguise himself as a famous person, thinking they would not draw scrutiny? It did make sense: Malachite would have looked for someone unassuming, as that is how people hid. A high-profile person drew too much attention for stealth.

"Make yourself visible, Botschafter." Malachite replied. "You are the host of a party." And with that, Malachite began to use his powers to alter his own appearance. All of the Shitennou could use this, but Malachite found it weak. Surprise attacks had their merits, but Malachite preferred to crush all in his way. His power was supreme, not even the combined Sailor Scouts could stand up to him. Only the Silver Crystal could possibly do so. And that shouldn't be a problem with Malachite's current plan.

His uniform became a tuxedo, and Malachite's hair shortened. What was once a great Negaverse general now stood for all intents and purposes, a normal human. Malachite was glad he did not have to see himself look so ugly, but it had it's purpose for now.

"Like all good hosts, we must go mingle with our guests."


	134. Stick to the Plan

"I can't believe it." Mina sighed when she was safely backstage. She completely blew it in front of everyone on stage.

"I saw your face." Raye, who was looking at her ankle, was quick to criticize. "You were completely lost in the moment. With shoes like this, no wonder you fell."

"Aww." Mina was upset, and she felt bad enough.

"Mina, didn't you forget this is a plot by the Negaverse? And even worse, I saw Darien here already. We can't just go for a shot at glory."

"You sound like Jedite." Mina commented.

"What's so bad about that?" Raye returned, helping Mina into her normal shoes. "Someone's gotta be the responsible one, and he takes it up. I think I've gotten a lot better with him on our side."

"Yeah, you say that." Mina got a bit of a wry look in her eye. She hadn't been around the scouts that long, but she'd seen enough of them all together to notice how Raye acted when he was and wasn't around.

"So what's the story between you two anyway?" Mina asked.

"Not one you haven't been told already. You know what happened."

"Not that." Mina teased. "Between you two. Come on, you think I don't notice how you two act, how you get all nervous when he's around, and always try to be like him when you're not."

"He's too shy to admit what he does for this team, or he may not even get it." Raye returned. "I try to be helpful."

"Helpful in love, maybe." Mina teased, and Raye scowled.

"Now I remember why you being so much like Serena gets on my nerves."

"Hey, I'm not trying to be mean or anything, if you like him, go for it. We fight for love and justice of all kinds!"

"Mina." Raye harshly chastised. "That's enough." There was a knock on the dressing room door, and Raye began to move towards to enter. Once the door opened, however, Mina could see Raye's face immediately go white.

"Raye..." She trailed off, for Mina watched as Raye stepped back and Darien entered the room.

"You are...the girl who fell?" Darien acted completely normal, as if he was an average person and not the Negaverse general Mina knew he was.

"Yes." Mina stood up. She was no longer wearing that bulky dress, she was ready to move if she needed to. Still, she needed to make sure she didn't transform in front of Darien.

"The designers...were not pleased." Darien returned. It was bad enough he was a bad guy, now he was going to mock her performance first? Beryl must be stopped.

"But I think...there may be another use for you. And you, you're the stagehand from earlier?" He turned his gaze towards Raye.

"Yes." Raye answered. Mina remembered Raye had said she saw Darien earlier today. That must have been the alias she used. That was a trick Jedite used all the time, no wonder they were perfect for each other.

"Excuse us, we need to talk in private." Darien told her. Raye's brow furrowed, as she was clearly unsettled with the idea. Not that Mina blamed her, there was a specific reason why Darien singled her out, and if Mina had to guess, she thought it was because Darien thought she was Sailor Moon.

"Her ankle's a little swollen, sir." Raye returned. She had to be nervous. After all, in addition to being a former good guy, Darien was, at one point, her boyfriend.

"Could this wait until later? I'm certain the designer's reprimands can wait." If she was nervous though, Raye certainly didn't show it.

"It's very urgent." Darien returned. "I'd rather you not get involved in it. Please, excuse us." Darien was just as firm. Raye and Darien stared down each other, and Mina was certain none of them were going to back down.

"All right." Raye returned. "Far be it from me to distract our client. I'll be back later. Let me just make sure her ankle is fine." And Raye crouched down towards Mina, and took a quick look at her foot. Not for very long, for Raye started to stand back up.

"I'll get Serena, just leave a trail we can follow." She whispered very softly into Mina's ear. And Mina heard, and nodded.

Raye really was thinking tactically, sticking to the plan. Jedite's plan. Wouldn't this make juicy gossip. But only after the job was done. Mina knew she wasn't the most professional person, but she knew her duty as a Scout, at least.

* * *

Harvey Sigurd was said to be a dark-haired man in a black tuxedo, which only left at least a hundred men to search through. And pinpointing him would not be easy. If his name was announced, Jedite would become wise to the search and disappear. That traitor would not escape his fate.

After carefully investigating a dozen or so possible candidates, and discovering that all of their energy was not nearly strong enough to belong to Jedite, Malachite thought of a different idea. It could very well be that Jedite was already wise. Botschafter's energy was that of a youma, and Jedite could pick that out very easily. He was all too familiar with it, after all.

He could be in disguise already, waiting for his moment to strike like the little snake he was. But Jedite would not have come here alone: The Sailor Scouts would have been his backup. And they did not have his shapeshifting powers, they would be very much the same evening-gown wearing girls.

These girls were younger women, so that narrowed it down a bit more, but most of the young women here were in groups together. That was going to make things difficult, separating these girls would not be simple.

"Master Malachite, is there anything I might help with?" His youma asked expectantly.

"Have you seen this actor Jedite's disguising himself as?"

"No, my master." Botschafter returned. "I've been being conspicious per your orders."

"I think I'm losing my patience. If Jedite is here, the Scouts are here. That's enough for me. It's time to implement Phase II of our plan." It really was simple: Drain the energy of all of these people in the crowd. A Sailor Scout was still human, and would be in no position to fight back once her energy was drained. With that, the Silver Crystal could be collected without interference. Jedite would, of course, be immune to any energy-gathering. But he'd be all alone in a fight with Malachite. No back-up, no chance. Either of Jedite's survival, or Malachite letting him get away.


	135. And So It Begins

Mina knew she had to keep calm when standing next to Darien. She couldn't give herself away too early, she had to stall, make sure Serena and Raye arrived. Then she could sneak off, transform, and return to the fray. He couldn't beat all three of them in tandem: Darien didn't seem to have any youma or anything with him. According to Jedite, one would only go with him if Queen Beryl ordered it. In all the times she had seen youma, they always acted in a sort of visible role, but there didn't seem to be one here. Darien seemed to be alone.

"Hey, I don't need this chewing out. I already feel bad enough." Mina bluffed, although bluffing wasn't Mina's purview. It was a fight for time.

"This isn't about clothes." Darien spoke irreverently. "I'm more interested in you."

"I'm just me." Mina acted defensively.

"Yes. You are you. But who are you? You'd best end this game, Sailor Moon." Darien moved quickly.

"Who?" Mina acted innocently.

"Do not mess with me!" Darien stepped forward menacingly, Mina slowly backed away.

"All the signs point to you. Or are you saying there's some other klutzy idiot with powerful energy directed at me." Darien remarked.

"Huh?" Mina didn't have to play-act as much now: He could sense energy like that? Could Jedite and the others do that too?

"So, are you going to drop the ruse?"

"You are insane, and I'm getting out of here. Let me go or I'll scream!" Mina wasn't sure what to do at this point, she did the first thing that popped into her head.

Before she could move however, she felt a chill, a creeping cold that suffused throughout her body. And she couldn't move. She tried to struggle, but her legs and arms would not comply.

"You aren't going anywhere." Darien remarked. "If you are Sailor Moon you will not leave. And if you aren't, she will be coming here shortly.

* * *

"Serena, come on, we have to move now." Raye wasted no time finding Serena, not that it was difficult to do: Once Mina had gotten off the stage, Serena had gotten up from her seat and went straight for the snack bar, and was happily noshing on her favorite junk.

"Oh, why couldn't it be when I finished." Serena bemoaned.

"I'm sure Darien would wait while you finished...jeez, that must be enough for three people."

"Oh, lay off." Serena replied. "Let's find a quiet place to transform." It was more difficult than it seemed: There was an intermission now within the show itself, so many people were out walking around, talking about what happened. And backstage, girls were bustling, changing into the dress for the next part of the show.

But there was a room that wasn't being used at the moment. The two girls shut the door and quickly transformed.

"You have the crystal." Raye, now Sailor Mars, asked.

"Yeah." Sailor Moon gripped it tightly in her hand. Raye knew where to go now. Back to where she saw Mina the first time: The room was empty at the time, and Darien would have taken the same precautions Raye did.

She hurried back to that locker room where Mina was resting, and could hear voices. While this entire area radiated dark energy, Raye could feel a powerful concentration close by. Darien hadn't moved.

With a firm kick, Raye bust open the door.

"How dare you ruin a young girl's day of magic!" Sailor Moon chastised. True to Raye's auras, Darien was there, and he was facing Mina. So far, Mina looked unhurt, perhaps the two of them moved fast enough, or Mina bluffed him long enough. Either way, the plan was still in motion.

"You nega-trash won't ruin this for anyone anymore!" Sailor Mars continued.

"So, Sailor Moon actually wasn't the one I thought it was." Darien sighed wistfully.

"And good, the crystal is there too. I'll give you one chance to hand it over without incident." He ordered. "Right now!"

"Not a chance!" Sailor Moon gripped the crystal tighter.

"A shame." Darien shrugged again. "But you're here, and I can take care of you. You, girl, are completely useless. Leave." He waved his hand, and Mina, who was standing up, stumbled a little, but quickly moved out. She was going to transform and be right back, Mars knew.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Raye, however, wasn't going to waste any time until Mina got back. Her fireball soared straight to Darien, who outstretched his hand, and Mars could only watch as it dissipated around Darien. As it did so, Darien's body seemed to shimmer for a moment, and, when Mars's fire subsided, she found she was no longer looking at Darien, but Tuxedo Mask.

He had transformed into their former ally. Seeing him always made Sailor Mars's heart skip a beat. Even knowing he was her ex, or brainwashed by the Negaverse never changed that. It was something about him, the way they first met and the way he acted when he was their ally.

And Tuxedo Mask seemed to notice that

"So, no talk for your old comrade Tuxedo Mask?" He asked.

"Evil Spirit, begone!" Was Raye's only response. Whenever Sailor Moon had to use the crystal, the enemy needed to be weakened first. She could do that.

* * *

Jedite immediately shivered as he felt the energy shift. Malachite was about to plan something, and he needed to make his way back to Amy and Lita.

Malachite was never known for his patience, Jedite was surprised this lasted as long as it did. Amy and Lita stuck together, and it wasn't too hard to pick out Lita's tall frame from the crowd.

"What's up, you look serious."

"I think Malachite's about to try something." Jedite remarked.

"Like what?"

"Flush us out. Amy, can your micro-computer detect anything? He may try to incapacitate all of the humans here."

"Already on it." Amy had already pulled the small machine from her purse and began to type. Fortunately, she didn't always need her visor on, that would have blown their cover.

"I detect something shifting in the air."

"Hold your breath." Jedite commanded. He inhaled deeply as well, and, after shutting his eyes, began to project a dome of repelling telekinetic force around them. Whatever Malachite was going to do, Jedite would be ready for it. Of course, subtlety was out of the question if Jedite's plan turned out to be correct; they'd be the only ones standing.

"How's getting ahold of Serena?" Jedite asked Lita.

"They haven't been answering. I hope they're all right." With Jedite's luck, they were probably neck-deep into fighting Darien this very minute. But if Malachite went through with his plan, Amy and Lita might be out for the count. Being a Sailor Scout didn't say Amy from being petrified by Erinyes way back when.

Around them, the other guests at the party were not looking well. Some looked sluggish and tired, many started sitting in chairs. And then, one collapsed right in the middle of the floor. And then, another.

"Should we play along?" Amy asked. Not a bad idea. At least, until whatever was in the air faded.

"Carefully now." Lita supported Amy and the two fake-fell. Jedite leaned against the wall and prepared to slouch, but kept an eye slightly open. In enough time to see Malachite come before him.

"Let's begin." Came out of Malachite's mouth. But then, Jedite watched his head move. It darted quickly and looked directly towards Jedite. Jedite himself froze, only an amateur tried to revert after someone's attention was drawn.

Malachite didn't look away, and Jedite wondered if his luck had run out this time.


	136. Explosive Confrontations

Jedite tried to remain perfectly still, but Malachite also did not move. Jedite just quietly remained motionless in his position: Back against the wall as if he had fainted, silently projected a telekinetic wall of force to prevent whatever it was that affected the rest of the crowd to come into contact with himself or the other two Scouts play-acting besides him.

Malachite shouldn't be able to sense that: Jedite wasn't projecting the energy field far enough to reach him.

Jedite held his breath, and Malachite took a few steps in a lateral direction, out of Jedite's line of sight. And still, Jedite did not move, concentrating only on his repulsion field. If Malachite suspected something, seeing nothing move would ease his thoughts. And if he didn't suspect, he would not notice.

Jedite heard nothing for a moment, and then decided to, very slowly, move his head towards where Malachite had walked. When Malachite came back into his line of sight, Malachite's back was turned, and he was talking to what appeared to be Ambassador Cerino.

As he thought, Cerino was the youma. Serena would need to be contacted shortly: Hopefully she will have dealt with Darien by then. One fell swoop, and Beryl would be quickly on the defensive, and Jedite would know how to strike at her next to keep her off her balance.

They were too far away to hear clearly, but Malachite broke conversation almost immediately thereafter.

"So which of these is who we're looking for." The youma asked.

"He's just hiding." Malachite replied. "He'll come out when there's a reason to. All we have to do is make him want it more."

They had to be talking about himself, there was no other "he" Malachite could think of, unless they meant Darien, but that was unlikely. Beryl would not broker a fight between two of her own allies.

So Malachite walked over towards an unconscious woman, no one he knew. And Malachite picked her up. With his strength, he could easily do it with one hand, and he rose her above his head so that she was suspended by her arm.

And then, Malachite began to drain her energy. A completely and totally pointless endeavor. She was passed out at the time, her energy would be unfocused and weak. Not to mention the only point of gathering energy was for Queen Metallia, and giving that to her would be completely pointless since Sailor Moon had the Imperium Silver Crystal. Metallia fell to that once, she could fall to it again.

This was just to try and flush him, or maybe the Sailor Scouts, out. It was a brazen move, and Jedite knew that it would work, he could feel Lita stir right beside him.

If he didn't move first, they would. And the Sailor Scouts weren't even able to fight Malachite as a team.

Jedite had to move quickly, then. Using his telekinesis, he immediately levitated himself up off the ground, and, without wasting a breath, shoved a wave out towards Malachite. It caught him by surprise, and it knocked both him, the youma, and the unconscious woman, to the ground.

"Find a place to transform." He quickly said under his breath to the two Sailor Scouts, who surreptitiously nodded.

"So, it seems my power didn't affect you." Malachite looked at Jedite with bemusement.

"Should I call you a stupid redheaded fool, or by your actual name, Jedite?" Jedite replied to Malachite by shedding his disguise. No need to limit his powers here, that would be more dangerous than any collateral damage.

"You're quite bold. Have you truly forgotten the difference in our level of power?"

"And have you forgotten our track record? You're zero of two, and I stole a Rainbow Crystal right from under your nose. So, how'd you survive that one? I never handed the key to our defeat to our enemy on a silver platter." Jedite boasted, just to keep Malachite focused on him. That way, the Scouts could get to a quiet place to transform.

"Our Queen sees use in those who are strong."

"So, not Zoicite, then?" Jedite dared. Incensing Malachite might give him more energy, but it made him less focused, blind to rage and little else.

"How odd of Beryl to send a crippled general to do battle with a traitor even you couldn't defeat. It's almost as if she wanted Zoicite to fail."

"You try to spit lies and falsehoods like a demon! I'll not here you speak Zoicite's name again, cur!" Malachite shouted. Then Jedite decided for the pre-emptive attack. His telekinetic charge, that wrecked Zoicite and tossed him about like a rag doll.

It had it's downsides, but Malachite shouldn't have been expecting this. Using all his force, Jedite charged.

And just before he reached Malachite, Jedite felt a wave of force repel him. Malachite's own counter-attack. And it slowed him down, as if he was trying to charge through water.

Slow enough for Malachite to grab Jedite by the neck before he reached him.

"Is that your best?" Malachite mocked. Jedite followed up by immediately bringing his arm to bear and pointing it straight into Malachite's face, ready to unleash the most powerful energy blast he had.

And Malachite said nothing, but Jedite could feel a powerful heat in Malachite's hand, the one gripping his throat. Both men fired at the same time, both were point-blank shots. No chance of missing. And both men were enveloped in a blast of white-hot light.

* * *

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars fought again as Sailor Moon watched for a second. She gripped the crystal tightly, unsure of how exactly she'd use it on Tuxedo Mask. Should she heal him, like he was a youma, or should she use it offensively, like she did against the Shitennou? She wasn't sure, this crystal didn't exactly whisper to her the secret of how to properly use it.

"I don't have time for you!" Tuxedo Mask attacked back with his cane, causing Mars to leap into the sky and deliver a jump kick to his torso. He staggered.

"Too bad, I'm here to stay!" Sailor Mars delivered. "If you think the Negaverse is going to win here or anywhere, you got another thing coming."

"Too bad your boldness leads to brashness." And Tuxedo Mask pulled out his trademark rose, and threw it into the air. Quickly, he lashed with his cane at Sailor Mars's legs. Once she was down, he quickly snatched the rose from the air and threw it right at her feet. It connected, and Sailor Mars fell on all fours, crying out in pain and trying to push herself back up.

"Mars!" Sailor Moon screamed out.

"Hand over the crystal if you want Sailor Mars alive!" Tuxedo Mask ordered.

"Don't!" Sailor Mars protested. Sailor Moon gripped the crystal tightly. She could try to attack Tuxedo Mask with it, but the power of the crystal was great, and Sailor Mars was right next to him. Would it hurt her, too? She could try healing, but would that even work on Darien?

"Now!" Tuxedo Mask ordered.

"You're the leader, don't!" Sailor Mars replied. Just like Jedite had told her. It seemed Raye accepted that when he said it.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Sailor Venus, ready to join the fray, eagerly provided the third option.


	137. Pain and Power

Sailor Venus was not going to go down without a fight. The weird feeling she had when Darien was holding her still had passed, and she was going to return the favor.

"When a schoolgirl feels like a goddess, to ruin it is sacrilege of the highest order! I'm Sailor Venus, Sailor Scout of love! And for all of those who love fashion and dream, I shall punish you!"

"Okay, even I thought that was a little much, Venus." Sailor Mars groaned at Sailor Venus as she got to her feet. He must have unleashed the same paralyzing spell he used on her, but she was in a far more compromising position.

"Hey, I rescued you." Venus returned, and Mars said nothing in return, just turned to face Darien. Venus's attack staggered him, but did not knock him down. Mars carefully leapt backwards.

"With me." Mars remarked to Venus.

"Sounds like a plan! Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Venus unleashed another attack.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars immediately followed. Arcs of flame surrounded Venus's beam of light and converged upon Darien. He shielded himself with his cape, but the blow still stunned him, at the end, nearly dropped him down to a knee.

"Sailor Moon, all you!" Sailor Mars cleared the way for their leader.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon called. Was that right way to use it? Sailor Venus didn't know, and maybe Sailor Moon didn't know either, but it was worth a shot now.

"Ergh!" Darien reacted to it as if it was uncomfortable, like a sunburn. But as he tried to stand up, Sailor Venus noticed he was moving slower. His breathing became more labored, and he began to clutch his head as if he was in pain.

"Keep going, I think it's working!" Mina shouted. Levelling the crystal at a position more comfortable for her arms, Sailor Moon seemed to agree.

For a second, Mina wasn't exactly sure what she was looking at. In all her time with the Sailor Scouts, she'd only ever seen the crystal in action once. With the youma, things were completely different, they glowed and faded and a human was all that was left. Jedite had mentioned it was similar to a parasite, although he was quick to amend that it wasn't the most accurate word, and he merely knew of no way to explain it adequately.

Darien though, was not like that. He was brainwashed, there was no youma to get rid of. It might not affect him in the same way.

Darien let out another gasp for air and stumbled, bracing himself against the row of lockers.

"Come on Crystal, you can do it!" Sailor Moon said encouragingly. And with that, there was another bright light, and Darien's body, just like that youma back at the beauty parlor did.

But what would happen when the light subsided. Ready for anything, Mina prepared herself if the battle wasn't over.

* * *

The blast of energies between both Malachite and Jedite would affect them both, and Malachite knew that. He was not immune to his own energy.

The blast rocketed the two men apart, and blew them both off their feet. It staggered Malachite, disoriented him, even caused him some pain. But Jedite was in far worse shape. He flew backwards, slammed into a table, completely ripping the thing in two, before continuing through and colliding against another one, which held together.

With great difficult, Malachite saw the traitor get to his feet. His throat was red and scorched. Most of his injuries were to his back, but Jedite did not look too good.

At this rate, Jedite would expire long before Malachite would. Just as Malachite predicted a battle would go.

"You are nothing." Malachite derided. "Were barely anything as an ally, even less as an enemy."

Jedite did not reply. Malachite wouldn't have listened anyway.

"Perish!" Malachite ordered, and unleashed an energy attack upon him, one of the strongest he had ever mustered. He didn't care about the others around, the human cattle still unconscious. Sailor Moon didn't seem to be here, and all that mattered now was the death of the traitor. For Zoicite, for all he had done to destroy the plans of Queen Beryl.

Malachite unleashed the attack, and Jedite tried to defend against it. Malachite watched some of his energy get deflected, going high or to the side, away from Jedite.

He expected this: Telekinesis could work on energy, although it was more difficult than moving a physical object. But it wouldn't be enough, and, sure enough, most of the blast made it through, smashed into Jedite, and knocked him into the air, over the table, and into the wall.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Malachite heard a voice to his side, and patiently threw up a wall of telekinetic force to block the attack of Sailor Jupiter. He turned to find her standing alone next to a hallway. She must have been one of the guests, and ducked there to transform away from prying eyes.

"Patience, sailor brat, you'll get your turn." He threw a fast wave of force towards her. She had no way of blocking attacks like Jedite did, knocking her backwards. Not nearly as powerful as the attack he had given to Jedite, just enough to keep her busy.

"Botschafter, make sure she doesn't interfere!" He ordered his youma, and then quickly teleported his way over to Jedite. He was conscious, but struggling to get to his feet. Covered in blood, breathing heavily, unfocused eyes. Just where he needed to be.

"This ends." Malachite stated solemnly. Time to finish what he'd done so long ago.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury appeared next, blanketing the area with her obscuring fog. Malachite could feel Jedite move away from him. Firing blindly would only leave him exposed for an ambush, so Malachite hovered into the air to outwait the fog.

"So, hiding behind a frail little waif? How pathetic." Malachite chided, keeping himself moving in the sky so he wasn't a stationary target.

"Your evil will not be allowed to continue any further." Sailor Mercury continued, and Malachite had no interest in listening to her. Once Queen Metallia awakened, she could shoot her little bubbles forever and she'd still be obliterated.

The fog began to fade, and Malachite could see. Sailor Mercury stood boldly out in the open, ready to face him, a completely foolish endeavor. Jedite was behind her, still breathing heavily and unable to stand up straight. Sailor Jupiter and Botschafter were locked elsewhere.

Mercury was no real fighter.

"Hand over Jedite, Mercury, I have no interest in you." Malachite ordered.

"I would never hand over a member of our team and a treasured friend. I'll defy you to my last."

"Then I'll usher that last to you!" Malachite prepared to attack again, bringing his arm to bear to wipe them both out.

"Malachite!" Queen Beryl's voiced boomed, drowning out his immediate thoughts. "I need you immediately!"

"Your Majesty!" Malachite thought, knowing she would be able to hear them. "Just one second, I'll wipe out the traitor and a Sailor Scout both."

"No! Now! I need you to reclaim Prince Endymion! Sailor Moon has him!" It did not surprise Malachite that the fool was beaten, but Beryl wanted him to break his battle and claim him? Jedite would disappear again.

"Your Majesty!"

"My orders are final!" Beryl shouted, so loudly it made Malachite's ears echo.

"This...this isn't over!" And Malachite, angry at his liege more than anything else, disappeared to rescue the failure Endymion.


	138. Attrition

When the bright light subsided, Darien was no longer dressed as Tuxedo Mask. He was wearing normal clothes, and looked so very much like the Darien Sailor Moon had always remembered. Of course, he looked like Darien back at the hot springs, and he was definitely serving under Queen Beryl then. Jedite and Raye had both told her that he had a dark and evil presence, although she wasn't able to sense any of that herself.

Darien's arms were outstretched, his head bent backward at the neck. It looked very much like a human did whenever they were turned back from being a youma. Darien then fell down to the floor.

"Did it work?" Sailor Venus, puzzling.

"I...I don't sense dark energy from him anymore." Sailor Mars affirmed, and Sailor Moon breathed a sigh of relief. That was the hard part, and it was over. Without Darien possibly getting hurt, Sailor Moon was not afraid of Beryl or Malachite or anything else: She could beat the bad guys.

"Now what happens?" Sailor Moon asked. Could they haul him back to his apartment? Jedite had the key, if Sailor Moon remembered. Jedite had been asked to feed Darien's fish just before the battle with Zoicite. Just before he disappeared.

"I don't know." Sailor Venus shrugged. "I think we kinda put all our effort in de-brainwashing him we had no idea what to do once we actually did it."

"Ha, ha, that sounds like us, doesn't it." Sailor Moon laughed. Sailor Mars, however, kept an entirely serious look on her face.

"Hey, what's up?" Sailor Moon asked when she finally noticed.

"I'm sensing something." Sailor Mars drew herself back into a battle stance. A few seconds later after that, a column of light stood between the Scouts and the now unconscious Darien. When the light subsided, Sailor Moon saw they were looking at Malachite.

"You!" She glared. "You will not have him!"

"This is what I was pulled away from sacred vengeance for?" Malachite barely paid attention to Sailor Moon, and instead looked at the unconscious Darien. His scowl was one of unfettered disappointment.

"You are pathetic, Endymion. Can't even handle a few Sailor Scouts. What our Queen sees in you, I'll never see." Malachite turned towards the Sailor Scouts.

"I'm afraid you can't take him." Malachite told them, but he didn't seem very enthusiastic about the whole idea, with a slump in his shoulders and no passion in his voice.

"No!" Sailor Moon protested.

"Not up to me. Although I don't mind fighting you for that crystal." Malachite levitated into the air, and appeared to be ready to attack. But it never came.

"It seems our Queen has other plans. So, that's enough for you. At least Botschafter can handle that other cleanup." Malachite sighed again, and picked up Darien's body.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Sailor Venus attempted an intercept, but Malachite turned his outstretched hand palm forward, and the attack dissipated against a barrier.

"Another time, then." In a blackened wave, Malachite and Darien both disappeared.

"No!" Sailor Moon screamed. It happened so fast she could barely register it until it was over.

"I can't believe they're still holding onto him. He didn't even fight us for the Silver Crystal." Sailor Venus puzzled. Sailor Moon found it odd too, but she didn't care about that right now. Right in front of her, Darien was snatched up. Again.

"That's a question to ask Jedite, he knows Malachite the best." Sailor Mars replied.

"Speaking of Jedite, what happened with the others? Was it a total bust?" Sailor Venus asked. Sailor Moon didn't know, so she pulled out her communicator.

"What do you think he meant by cleanup? And that Bot...whoever?" Sailor Venus asked.

"I think we should just go." Sailor Mars remarked, and Sailor Moon saw her face, and she actually looked worried.

"Why, Raye?"

"I'm nervous. If we had Darien, then Jedite had Malachite, and then he came here. And neither Amy nor Lita's been answering the communicator. Darien's gone, let's just move and see if they hail us on the way."

"Okay, that sounds like it'll work." Sailor Moon agreed, and she too, began to grow worried. Malachite seemed...very agitated to go and retrieve Darien, presumably at Beryl's orders. So he had to be doing something he was enjoying. And Jedite had said a number of times that there was nothing more Malachite wanted to do then kill him.

* * *

Sailor Mercury had to help Jedite to his feet. Her medical knowledge may not translate directly over to Jedite's physiology, but she knew he did not look in good shape, with many burns and lacerations covering him. From what his body was slammed into, Sailor Mercury was surprised Jedite could even stand: His spine would have shattered if he was a normal human.

"Are you all right?"

"Where's Malachite?" Jedite asked. Even Sailor Mercury couldn't explain what happened. He was prepared to annihilate the both of them, and then, all of a sudden, he was shouting threats and teleporting away.

She didn't have time to think about it now. With Jedite on his feet, the two of them needed to make sure Sailor Jupiter was doing all right against the youma she was facing.

"I'm going to help Sailor Jupiter. You can..."

"If you're not going to say take a breather, no." Jedite silenced her. "There's little you can do with a youma by itself besides delay it. We have no idea if Sailor Moon is too busy to help us. We need to weaken it enough to slow it down, then I'll see if I can remove it."

"All right." Sailor Mercury didn't like it, Jedite was very unsteady on his feet, but when it came down to it, he was very much right: They needed to assume they were on their own until they could reach Sailor Moon.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Amy saw Jupiter's battle in time enough for her to launch an attack, and the youma dodged it effortlessly.

"I'm more than just a figurehead." The youma pulled a medal from his chest and flung it at Sailor Jupiter like a weapon. It whisked by her hair, but Sailor Mercury noticed a razor-thin cut in her cheek form turn red with blood.

Jedite responded with an energy blast to the youma's flank. It staggered him, but even Mercury could tell Jedite's power was not as strong as he normally was.

"The traitor still lives?" The youma scowled. "Master Malachite will reward me greatly for your head." The youma's hand went to his belt, where there was a sword inside of a hilt. It was supposed to be just a decoration, a fake blade of Ambassador Cerino's position in his home country's armed forces. But in the hands of this youma, the blade was pulled out, and Sailor Mercury saw it had a blackened sheen to the metal. Either the blade was poisoned or infected with some sort of bad energy, but neither was good.

"You won't get a chance to enjoy it." Jedite levitated into the sky, and started with a wave of telekinetic force. But, even though it was harder to see Jedite's labored movements while he was flying, his breathing was very heavy.

Sailor Mercury needed to make sure Sailor Moon was on her way, but even if she was, she needed to make time.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Stalling their battle for a few moments would be a start.


	139. End of the Rope

While getting to the embassy wasn't exactly far from her position, Sailor Mars knew that she could not hesitate. The others could be in some serious trouble, especially if they were dealing with a youma. As far as she knew, Jedite couldn't do anything about the youma Malachite used: They were partially human and, as he had mentioned when Nephrite used something similar, if he tried to kill the youma while it was inside the human, the human would die too.

So they wouldn't be able to stop the youma, and who knew, what if that Malachite guy came back after he was done transporting Darien. Jedite had said Malachite was out for his blood, and if his only goal was to bring Darien back...

Sailor Mars picked up the pace.

"Huff...huff..." Behind her, Sailor Moon, unsurprisingly, was exhausted already.

"Do we have to run this fast?" Sailor Moon replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you forget we're on a rescue?" Sailor Mars gruffly shot back without slowing her pace.

"Jedite can take care of himself. Always could." While true, that didn't matter. Malachite looked like he had been in a very intense battle when he teleported in to pick up Darien. The last time the Sailor Scouts had engaged him in battle, they did little more than slow him down: It had to happen from the battle with Jedite. And Jedite had mentioned that if he and Malachite got into a battle, Malachite would be the victor.

If Malachite was injured, Jedite would be a lot worse off according to his own predictions, and he was the pessimist.

"Let's just hurry."

"Mars, are you..." Sailor Venus asked. Mars didn't answer, she just kept moving.

* * *

Jedite levitated backwards and laterally, to avoid any projectiles that Botschafter might have thrown. While Mercury's bubbles prevented the youma from attacking, they blinded Jedite as well, so he had to wait until the fog faded. A good thing, too, for Botschafter seemed to have the same idea, and if Jedite had attacked while the fog was up, all he would have done is give away his position. And he didn't have the energy to expend on reckless attacks, he needed precision.

"There you are." Botschafter took notice, and stepped carefully towards Jedite. He did not float or attempt to leave the ground, perhaps he could not. Perhaps Jedite would have an advantage from the air.

"_No time like the present to use it." _And Jedite attacked, while the youma elegantly dodged to the left.

"I am no mere puppet, traitor. You'll find me more than a standard youma." Whether that was true or not, Jedite knew he wasn't at his best after the fight with Malachite.

"And he's not alone! Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Sailor Jupiter fired a retaliatory strike of her own, straight at the youma's back. A decent idea, but Botschafter dodged very quickly to the right, moving much faster than a normal person, or even a normal youma, would.

"Wait for your turn." Quickly, Botschafter advanced upon Jupiter, who dropped back into a defensive position. Dropping back wasn't the most sensible place, Botschafter's reach was long than Jupiter's was, he could carefull move in and be in the right spot while she'd be helpless.

Charging like a torpedo threw the air, Jedite attacked, augmenting his charge with his own telekinesis. He landed dead on, unlike his charge did with Malachite. But such body blows weren't made without a price to his own, and Jedite felt that one, even though it wasn't one of his most powerful.

"_No more of those." _He told himself, carefully hovering out of range of that sword.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" While Botschafter was down, Jupiter attempted another attack. Even with his high speed, Botschafter could not have dodged something that precise, and it smacked him in the face.

He barely seemed fazed by the attack though, and stood up without a problem.

"You two are not so fearsome.

"Together, Jupiter!" Jedite commanded. They needed to stall for time, surely Sailor Moon would be on her way here. If they rescued Darien, then Mars and Venus could watch him. Returning to the ground, Jedite prepared to rush him. Botschafter may have been wielding a longsword, but they were unwieldly when the combat was in close-quarters, they were too long.

"You got it!" Jupiter jumped backward as Jedite moved forward, intent on staggering Botschafter for Jupiter to blast him again. The two would trade off, Mercury throwing down her bubbles, and keep him occupied without getting hurt.

But Botschafter was prepared for it. As Jedite moved forward, Botschafter dashed quickly away. Jedite sailed past him, and Botschafter quickly turned around and nicked Jedite with the sword . As far as wounds went, Jedite had seen far worse. But as soon as the blade sliced his flesh, Jedite found himself feeling very sluggish. His momentum slowed, and he couldn't maintain his speed, and he fell over.

"Hahaha." Botschafter laughed. "Do you feel it, traitor? The weapon Master Malachite gave me to deal with you." Jedite tried to pick himself off the grounds, but his muscles were nearing exhaustion and he could barely support his own weight.

Botschafter grabbed Jedite's collar. Jedite tried to summon what energy he could to blow the youma backwards. Spreading out from him like an aura, the wave of force pushed Botschafter back, but didn't knock him down.

There wasn't much else Jedite could do, and he saw Jupiter step in front.

"I got this." She said, and there wasn't much Jedite could do about that. He couldn't pick his arms off the ground to fire a precise attack. Crouched on the ground, Jedite could do nothing but wait.

Jupiter moved forward. He hoped she'd get the lesson of staying away from that sword of his. She'd be paralyzed at best if she came into contact with the sword, and who knew if that energy was far worse on humans than on a Shitennou.

Jedite tried to summon his strength. Sure, he couldn't move his arms or legs, but he still had access to his powers. He could telekinetically levitate himself and keep out of harm's way.

While he could feel himself moving, he felt his concentration warble. He'd been pushing himself way too hard, and was nearly out of energy. Even he couldn't sustain forever.

"_Come on, where are you." _Jedite commanded the other Sailor Scouts. He wished Serena was here, so she could destroy this monster. And he wished Raye was here too. With her by his side, they could crush Botschafter.

But wishes weren't going to save him, or Jupiter.


	140. After the End

When Lita saw Jedite stumble, she immediately suspected something was wrong. He had the ability to levitate if his legs were exhausted, he'd never fall down willingly if he had the opportunity.

Lita stepped forward to make sure he was safe and deal with the youma. He looked at her with a strong look of derision.

"You and the traitor, and he can barely stand. I, on the other hand." The youma stated before drawing back into a swordfighting stance.

He dodged her Thunder Crash before, so Jupiter needed to fight this one smart. She wasn't sure what help Jedite would be in his condition, and Mercury might need to tend to him.

She kept her eyes locked with him. The youma's eyes were solid black, no pupils of any kind. It was so odd to think of them as human in addition to monster, but they were, the Silver Crystal revealed them so.

The monster lunged first, and Jupiter parried. Thankfully, his blade was a thrusting type of weapon, so she only had to avoid a very specific point. She decided against the idea of a physical counter-attack, as that got Jedite into a world of hurt. The only time she'd attack is if she could knock that sword out of his hands.

But judging by the way the youma held the blade, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. So Lita took a deep breath, kept the youma trained on her. He wouldn't get to Jedite, at least. She could stall until Sailor Moon got here.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Locking eyes with that youma and stalling dulled Lita's sense of time, but soon, she could hear that the calvary had arrived.

Sailor Mars stood in front, with Venus right beside her.

"Tch." The youma did not seem pleased. "It seems Prince Endymion doesn't live up to the praise our Queen has of him. No wonder Master Malachite thinks nothing of him."

"Your evil ways end here! Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Venus immediately followed, and Botschafter dodged her move.

"Careful, he's fast!" Jupiter called out. "And you don't want to get close to that sword!" She still remembered what happened to Jedite. The youma now took his strides towards the other girls, who prepared for an attack.

Sailor Moon, however, prepared to use the crystal. Malachite had left, after all. It seemed the best time to use it. They hadn't worn down the youma much, but the crystal was still the crystal, after all. It's power was beyond reproach.

"Moon Healing..." Sailor Moon started, but the youma began to move, with that sword, towards her, quickly dodging left to avoid an interception by Venus.

"No chance!" Mars, who was further away, moved to intercept the attack herself. With an ofuda in hand, she was prepared to paralyze the monster. But she risked coming close to that sword

Jupiter prepared to lay down an attack to assist, but before she could, she felt a rush of force pass right by her, slam into the youma, and knock him away from Mars and straight into the ground.

"_That was..." _Jupiter turned around to see Jedite, levitating in the air. His body was completely rigid and stiff: One arm was at his side and the other outstretched, but they didn't wobble at all. Was he still paralyzed from that attack?

"Now! Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon used the crystal. It seemed to take longer than it normally did, but a white light encompassed the youma's body, and once it faded, all that was left was the Ambassador, unconscious on the ground, but he looked human.

"I don't sense any more dark energy nearby." Raye looked around. "I think we did it."

"Good." Jedite managed to get out a word before unceremoniously stopping his levitation and collapsing on the floor.

"Jedite!" Sailor Mars quickly moved her way over to him.

"That...did not go according to plan." Jedite seemed to be in a great deal of pain. Jupiter had seen that fight with Malachite and Jedite did not come out of that the winner.

"Here, let me help you up." Raye offered to get Jedite to his feet.

"How did...how did your fight go? Did you see Darien?" Jedite asked.

"We did..." Sailor Moon trailed off.

"Malachite came and took him away." Mars filled in. "The crystal worked, but they took him again."

"Hmph. Beryl must want him for some...ergh." Jedite tried to reason his next move, but a painful cry forced him to stop.

"You...We need to get you someplace safe."

"I'll...teleport back to the hotel. At least there I can clean myself up. Let's meet in the morning. If Darien's memories returned, Beryl's going to need to spend time fixing it. We could use it to our advantage." And with that, Jedite teleported away, back to someplace safe.

"We'd best make ourselves scarce too before everyone wakes up and asks questions." Ever the practical one, Mercury came up with the best course of action. What good would it to be the only conscious ones in a group of slowly awakening debutantes? When one of their own was injured badly, no less.

* * *

Darien lie unconscious before Queen Beryl as she prepared to erase his memories yet again. Malachite said nothing as he watched her prepare. It was a time-consuming procedure and one Beryl had to personally supervise to make sure everything was working. Erasing his memories too much would result in Darien not knowing how to do things like walk or fight, and that would make him just as useless.

He could no longer feel Botschafter's energy, so he was either dead or returned back to a human, but either one was of no consequence to Malachite. The real question was whether or not Jedite had survived that battle.

Malachite did some serious damage, but even Malachite knew that a youma was truly no match for a Shitennou. One could get wounded though, and enough wounds could do the trick.

"Malachite." Queen Beryl's voice interrupted his thoughts. "I can sense you are nearby."

"I was only watching, Majesty." Malachite was not forbidden from this place, after all. "Contemplating our next move. It will take time for Endymion to return to himself, even moreso now that we must work around the Silver Crystal."

"I know what you are planning." Beryl did not look up from Endymion to speak to Malachite. "You hope to ferret Jedite from hiding, do you not?"

"If I come across Sailor Moon first, I know my priorities. Obtain the Silver Crystal even if it means leaving Jedite be." Malachite spouted out the order he knew Queen Beryl wanted to hear.

"Do not think to ply me, Malachite. This double plan of yours was designed more to ferret Jedite out then the Silver Crystal." Beryl did not seem pleased, but she did not seem angry either. For the first time, Malachite wondered if he was getting a good read on her. Perhaps Zoicite was right in that this whole ordeal had changed her greatly. Unhinged her.

"Your Majesty, I understand your concern for Endymion, but the traitor must be dealt with."

"Are you forgetting your place?" Beryl questioned.

"No, Majesty, I will follow your commands as they are given. I am merely recalling the trouble the traitor has given us so far."

"And your failed attempts do nothing to stop him, doing too precious little to help that. He was the failure and you the success, and now, the roles have reversed. Do you think that pleases me? Let alone our glorious Queen Metallia?"

"Your Majesty..." Malachite retracted.

"I have a plan of my own for the traitor, Malachite. A slow poison. Allow me to use it." Queen Beryl's voice curttailed into a slight laugh. And Malachite was intrigued enough to wait, and hear more.


	141. Respite

There was school the next day, so Raye had to wait until after school to go see Jedite at the hotel. She'd seen him in far worse shape than he was in yesterday, he was still conscious, after all. But still, he was a friend, and part of the team, and he took a real beating.

She selected some fruit as an appropriate gift to bring, and then made her way rather quickly to the hotel he was staying at. It was further away then his apartment, but according to Jedite, the place was not safe, and he wouldn't be there anytime soon.

Jedite had said his room was 302, so Raye didn't wait to check in with the hotel: She wasn't staying, after all. Going up two flights of stairs, she gingerly knocked on the door, and heard movement on the other side.

"Hello?" It wasn't Jedite's voice that was talking when the door opened, it was female.

"Umm..." Raye started to become confused, until the door opened fully and she realized Lita was the speaker.

"Oh, Raye. I didn't know you were coming today." Lita shrugged. Raye stepped inside. She did not mean to be cold, but she still recalled what it was that Lita had said to her back at the hot springs: That she'd best make a move on Jedite before someone else did if she was interested in him that way.

Raye wasn't certain that she was, but Lita saying that still annoyed her.

The room was just one great room, like any hotel, and Jedite was in bed, but sitting up, with a number of bandages on his face.

"Oh, Raye. Hello." Jedite greeted her, although he didn't get out of bed.

"How are you feeling, any better?" Raye asked, ignoring Lita.

"Yes. I've said before I heal faster than you humans, but some bed rest wouldn't hurt at all. Queen Beryl will probably have to focus on her own tasks now with Darien, so I'll have time to recover."

"Well, that's good. I...brought you some fruit." Raye felt a little awkward: His injuries were bad and Jedite seemed very nonchalant about it.

"Ooh, if I eat anymore I think my stomach might explode." Jedite stifled a laugh. "Lita's been cooking up a real storm for me today."

"You'll never get better without nutrition." Lita replied.

"Serena said the same thing once before. And I recall how much cake she ate that one day. It still makes me sick to my stomach. Wonder what kind of nutrition she gets. Anyway, I should be fine in a few days, so there's no need to worry. Just keep your guard up: Beryl might be indisposed but Malachite may not be. There may still be plots in the works."

"You'll stay put though, won't you. Don't make me institute a guard." Lita cautioned.

"You have school, and I can teleport. If I wanted to, I could leave." Jedite started to move out of bed, but Raye watched his face contort into a grimace.

"You're just lucky I need the rest." He relented.

"You seem to be in good hands." Raye remarked.

"Mina offered to do it, but for some reason, the prospect of her taking care of me horrified me beyond belief. It was probably the part when she attempted to slice some strawberries and she nearly cut her finger. Twice. Within five minutes."

"You're just lucky it's a hotel, and she didn't try to straighten up or anything." Lita laughed. "And I'm completely free today."

"Don't you have that test to study for: Amy mentioned it yesterday, and Serena already tried to blow it off." Raye remembered.

"Oh, I'm going to fail it anyway."

"Again, I marvel at the non-discipline. Lita, study for your test, I'll be fine here, the quiet suits me just fine." Jedite told her from the bed.

"Yeah. I guess." Lita groaned. "Oh well, I'll come back tomorrow then." Grabbing her schoolbag, Lita headed out the door.

"So, are you feeling better?"

"Yes, actually. You keep your guard up too. You'll be the only one who can detect the evil energy. Make sure you're ready for anything."

"I...always am."

"I know. Why do you think I was okay having you go with Serena and Mina?" Jedite laughed.

"Well...I guess I should get going. I'll drop by later." Raye placed the fruit tray in the room's mini-fridge.

"That sounds lovely." Jedite smiled, and Raye left. Once she left, she cursed her cowardice. She was all alone with Jedite in that room, and she said nothing other than pleasantries. She was a coward.

* * *

It had only been about a week since filming ending, and sometimes Saffron still woke up in cold sweats. She still remembered that day when that crazy woman came into the studio, and attacked them. Jed Hanson, the reserved but friendly newbie who took the acting world by storm with his natural talent, defended them. And in the end, that woman wasn't a real human, and neither was Jed. Humans didn't bleed green.

And all those weird things that happened ever since this season started filming: The thing at Jed's audition where Director Abernathy acted so weird, the contest to find a guest star turning into absolute pandemonium, and the filming scene she still remembered with horror, were those all caused by Jed? Maybe he didn't make them happen, but they happened because of him?

Saffron was scared of him, but she was also curious. She was a realistic woman, but Jed defied all sorts of realism, which left her mind open to countless possibilities. Alien, cyborg, who knows what.

In all the times these bad things happened, Jed never hurt her, or anyone. Did that mean he was a good guy just under attack? Or was he a bad guy, waiting for the right time to strike? Or was it bad guy rivalry, she'd seen that in movies all the time.

Most of her thought it was a bad idea to go and see him, he could be dangerous after all. But...she'd seen Jed a number of times in different settings where he seemed downright normal. A bit serious at times, but not as evil as the ruthless man she saw annihilate that woman-monster thing.

Was she foolish? Maybe. But her nights were restless and it was driving her crazy. Who was the real Jed Hanson? Was he dangerous? Part of her believed it, she saw what happened before. But part of her did not.

She was still really scared of Jed. But there were others Jed was close to. That man who was his neighbor at his apartment, and the group of schoolgirls from the housewarming party. One of them said she was a temple maiden at the Hikawa Shrine, if she remembered.

The neighbor first, and then the shrine maiden. That seemed the best way to handle this.


	142. Don't Go Off Alone

"My plan is all ready, Majesty." Malachite bowed before his Queen, who was still attending to Prince Endymion with energy, carefully wiping all of his memories. It would take even longer this time, to make sure the Silver Crystal would not have the same effect on him.

He sighed: He had wanted this, ever since the idea was planted in his head back when Darien had that abjectly stupid idea for a mission at that hot spring. Where Darien had met that blond man, Jed, the one who knew his human self. Malachite had thought it would trigger memories and give him free time to hunt the traitor.

But now he had it, but Queen Beryl wasn't allowing it. It was bad enough Malachite had to leave the traitor alive when he was crippled; now he had to devise a plan for the crystal and leave Jedite an opportunity to heal, regain his strength, and return to being such a nuisance.

"Good, Malachite." If Beryl knew his frustration, she didn't acknowledge it. "I surely hope it will bring results."

"Sailor Moon is still but a girl in many ways." Malachite explained. "She is vulnerable to such attractions. My plan is to attract the Sailor Scouts with a flower show."

"Flowers?" Beryl puzzled.

"Under the control of my youma, the pollen can be triggered to expand in size, making it difficult to breathe in areas of high concentrations. I can start it out mildly to make sure Sailor Moon appears, and then expand it further to suffocate her. Then the crystal will be ours."

"That does have some promise." Queen Beryl remarked. "See that it bears results." And Queen Beryl returned to carefully monitoring the process of wiping Endymion's memories.

There was more Malachite wanted to say, but decided against it. Queen Beryl did not seem happy with what happened to Endymion, and her wrath could very easily be directed on him. He wanted to know what sort of plan Queen Beryl claimed to have in store for Jedite: She would not claim such a thing otherwise, she had no need to do anything for him.

But she did not acknowledge him further. He'd have to try again when she was in a better mood. He hoped it wouldn't take long, Jedite healed quickly, like all Shitennou, and a fully healed Jedite was useful to no one.

Death suited him better anyway.

* * *

While Saffron did not want to go to Jed's apartment building in case she ran into him, this was the only place she could find Darien Shields, Jed's neighbor and best friend. He would be the first person to speak to: Jed had mentioned before all this happened that he kept few friends, and Darien was among the few of them.

She looked at the mailboxes as soon as she walked in.

"_Shields. Shields." _She scanned the mailboxes. There was Jed's, under his supposedly real last name of Hanson. On the same floor was one that read "Shields", but Saffron could see very clearly that it had not been emptied recently: Some kind of magazine and a number of envelopes, probably bills, could be seen through the glass door.

He hadn't been here recently. Why was that? Jed had never mentioned it before, and if Darien moved out, his mail wouldn't still be here.

"Pardon me, miss. Can I help you?" A stern voice jostled Saffron's thoughts, and she turned to see an elderly man with a broom standing in the doorway. He must have been the landlord of the building.

"I'm sorry." Saffron bowed politely. "I'm just looking for a friend of mine, I haven't seen him recently."

"They are going to be in the mailbox, little lassie. Who are you looking for?"

"Darien Shields." Saffron needed to think up a lie really quick. Jed hadn't told her very much about Darien, and if the landlord heard a different story, he'd be calling the police in a heartbeat.

"I just, he hasn't been answering his phone and I thought something may have happened." Her best bet was to be as vague as possible.

"Darien's been out for almost two weeks now. But I'm told he's okay, so don't you worry. You can slip a note under his door since his mailbox is so full."

"Oh, was that by Jed?" Saffron tried to probe the man for more information.

"Yeah, Jed dropped by, said Darien had urgent business to take care of, and gave him the money to pay for the rent. Haven't seen Jed for a few days now, but he could be off filmin' or something. Rent's all paid, and they're good boys, they are. They'll be back."

"Good boys. Good to know." That old man had no reason to lie to her, although the fact that neither was around bothered Saffron quite a bit. Darien gone for two weeks? Jed never mentioned it. And he himself for two days? It hadn't been much longer than that since this whole thing happened at the studio.

Worried his cover was blown, or something else? Saffron didn't know, and she wondered whether or not this was beyond her means. She still didn't understand what happened at the studio with the crazy woman, or all the other things that happened. Even if Jed were on her side, how could he explain it in a way she'd understand?

Either way, she wasn't going to find anything else here. So her next option was the shrine maiden. Hikawa Shrine. It was still early afternoon, she could get there in time.

Politely saying goodbye to the man, Saffron continued her mission.

* * *

The home of the traitor was empty, although it didn't appear to have been empty for long. While everything was neat and in order, something the traitor Jedite always did, there was little dust on the surfaces.

But with a Shitennou, who could teleport to anyplace he had been previously, that meant little: The traitor could pop in right now while she was searching.

For Chihaya, one of Queen Beryl's hand-selected youma, the task was clear: Find the traitor, and observe his movements. It would not be an easy assignment, she could more disguise the energy she emitted anymore than she could stop breathing. But dark energy was not limited to youma alone, and, as long as she wasn't alone with the traitor, she should be able to survive the mission. But this mission wasn't about survival, it was observation, which could only be done if he was unaware.

And there was nothing here that hinted to his next movement. He must have gotten aware: That pathetic excuse Hecate had blown her cover, but blown it in a way that made Jedite believe his home was not safe.

That's what happens when incompetents were put in charge of missions. The once great Shitennou were reduced to two deaths, one defection, and Malachite, who may have been powerful, but had no idea how to properly use it: The enemies had the Silver Crystal and Malachite had nothing to show for it but failure after failure.

But now it was her time to work. While there may have been nothing here, that was not her fault, nor would it deter her. There were other ways: Jedite lived in this world, and that left a trail.

Sensing no human energy outside, Chihaya teleported through the door and out into the hallway. From down the stairs, she heard the sound of a man and woman talking.

Carefully, she moved forward in order to see. She couldn't see the man from where she was standing, but the girl, standing by the mailboxes, was a person Chihaya knew.

Queen Beryl had told her all about Jedite's career as the disguised Harvey Sigurd, and one of Zoicite's failed schemes involved disrupting an event he had planned he happened to be working with. He was the lead actor, and the lead actress was Saffron. The woman standing by the mailboxes.

She was close to the traitor as a human. There was much that could be gained from her, and Jedite would not attempt to attack, even if he suspected that Chihaya was a youma, if Saffron was watching.

It was almost too easy.


	143. Out on An Errand

Serena, Amy, and Lita all went to the same school, and all had an exam on the same day. While Amy was prepared for it, and believed she would do quite well at it, neither Serena nor Lita seemed to be prepared. It would have helped, of course, if they took their study sessions seriously.

Today, they were talking more about Scout business. Amy agreed that Scout business was very important, but they could handle that after their studies: Plans set by the Negaverse were quite grandiose in order to draw crowds, and Amy hadn't heard anything like that coming up recently.

Jedite had said nothing either, and while he may have been laid up in bed, he could sense energy. He would have called if there was something off.

"Why do you think Darien and Malachite set off their plan at the same time. I thought they wanted the Crystal. You couldn't be in two places at once." Lita pointed out.

"Maybe they wanted us separated. We do better as a team than together." Amy answered.

"But once Sailor Moon appeared, wouldn't they attack together. They can teleport and stuff and don't mind doing it when they're in the middle of something." Lita replied. Amy had to admit that did puzzle her a bit. From what little she saw of Darien as a bad guy, and from the information she had learned about Malachite from Jedite, it seemed that teamwork was not the prerogative of a Shitennou.

"_Even I found teamwork hard at first. It took seeing the results for me to get behind it." _Jedite had told her. Amy wondered if there was a way to use that against them, but realized it was no different than what was done already.

"Don't worry, Serena. We were able to use the crystal and help Darien before. That means we can do it again." Lita reassured.

"Thanks." Serena smiled, and the sparkle returned to her eyes. Amy silently admitted it was worth blowing off studies for a second to bring the sparkle back to her.

"The best thing we can do now is resume our lives." Amy remarked. Going through the motions of life during a time of crisis made things easier, it made it seem less overwhelming.

"Yeah, back to normal, and we'll beat `em and do it all when the time comes." Lita smiled.

"I'm glad you agree, now let's review Chapter 6."

"Yeah, let's...Amy, did you trick me?" Lita asked. Amy chuckled just a bit. No, she didn't, not at all. She just steered the conversation back to what was important right now. The Negaverse would act when they chose to act, they would just be ready for it, as always. Until the Silver Crystal could be controlled implicitly, they'd have to fend off the onslaughts and counter when they could. Many times had Amy been informed, and she deduced herself, that it was the best option.

* * *

It wasn't too long between Jed's apartment and the Hikawa Shrine, but it was a bit of a distance. The train didn't run very close to the shrine, and the buses ran infrequently there. So Saffron would have to walk a good distance, and dress incognito for the trip. The last thing she needed to get was mobbed by fans.

But even carefully disguised as she was, once she got started on her trip, Saffron couldn't help but feel as though she was being watched. She turned around to look and saw nothing, nothing unusual, no one that seemed to follow her.

Maybe she was just being paranoid: That fight Jed was in completely unnerved her, she was seeing things. She needed to get this done quickly.

The Hikawa Shrine had a lot of steps on it. Didn't Jed say he once lived here. It was truly mystifying how one could go up and down so many steps so many times a day.

Once at the top, she saw there were not many visitors here, just two men in traditional clothes sweeping. One was short and elderly, and the other had shaggy hair and was actually quite handsome, in a rugged sort of way.

At hearing her footsteps, the two men turned to face her.

"Oh my, welcome!" The old man, an easily excitable fellow, eagerly smiled at her.

"Hello." Saffron smiled politely, removing her sunglasses.

"Such a vision." The old man flirted. "How would you like to become a temple maiden here."

"Gramps." The young man exasperated frustratedly, but Saffron could tell from his voice that he was used to this sort of talk. Were they actually related? It didn't look like it, the young man towered over his elder, but without hair it was hard to tell.

"Oh, come on, Chad, I could feel your heart skipping the moment she spoke to you."

"Gramps." Chad, the young man, exasperated again. Saffron thought their relationship was actually kind of cute.

"Actually, I'm looking for someone. I'm looking for a woman named Raye Hino." Jed had introduced them at the housewarming party, and while Saffron had never needed the name before, it was a good thing she remembered.

"Ah, my granddaughter. You go to her school?" The old man asked.

"No." Saffron could not pull a bluff. Her disguise was supposed to make her look older, she'd never be able to pass herself as a high school student.

"I met her a party held by my friend." While the whole truth, that she was looking for Jed, would probably set the two men the wrong way, she could be vague about why she needed Raye.

"Raye's actually out anyway. She went with one of her schoolgirl friends. Who was it?" The old man puzzled.

"It was Mina, Gramps." Chad answered. "She went to visit Jed. She's always off seeing Jed."

"Jed?" Saffron's voice squeaked just a little.

"Oh yeah, you may have heard of him, he's an actor." Chad remarked. "I don't know where exactly they went though. I heard Jed had an apartment but if they went in the other direction." Other direction? Saffron puzzled. What did that mean? She knew Jed wasn't home, but he was receiving visitors elsewhere? He still paid the rent at his old place so he couldn't be moving.

"Do you think she'll be back shortly?"

"No, sorry. Oh, I gotta pick up some daikon." Chad's face turned bright red as he nearly panicked, dropping his broom.

"Well, if it's all right, Mr. Chad, might I go with you? I was hoping to find Raye but maybe she'll be back when you go on your errand."

"Err..." Chad blushed even more.

"Oh, go on you crazy kids." The old man teased.

"Gramps." Chad stated a third time. Saffron wasn't exactly sure what she'd gain from this excursion: This Chad might not know anything at all. But with Raye who knows where meeting Jed, and having no way to track the other girls, this was the only thing she could think of to do.

And Chad was good-looking, and seemed amiable and affable. A decent person to spend an hour or so with. He might even know the location of Jed if it sprang into his mind.

Seizing opportunities. Saffron had taught that to Jed and it was how he got the position at Precinct 52 in the first place. She'd be a poor teacher if she didn't remember the lesson herself.


	144. Garden Variety

"You know, I really don't need a lot of people fawning all over me." Jedite was feeling well enough to walk around his hotel room on his own, but still, the Scouts insisted on making sure he was convalescing. Today, he had Raye and Mina, the latter of which could be considered a destructive weapon given her ditziness and flighty behavior.

"Just wanna make sure you're okay."

"You do know there is maid service in the hotel, right. And even then, I straighten things up myself." Jedite informed Mina, who was attempting to organize the books and scripts that Jedite was reading while he had been bedridden.

"Sorry about her." Raye shrugged. Jedite couldn't help but notice recently that she seemed a bit nervous about something. Her energy seemed to increase a little whenever she came around. She must be getting a lot stronger. That was good, Raye should get stronger, so should the rest of them. But it was odd, he didn't feel that same rush of energy from Mina. Of course, she was so spastic and crazy, like Serena, that getting a read on her energy could be difficult at times.

"You two don't need to take care of me. Why don't you head to that flower show later today that Amy mentioned."

"That's more an Amy thing." Raye dismissed, and Jedite accepted that. Raye's idea of fun at a flower show was hiding a worm for Serena to find while smelling the flower.

"Well, I'm well enough to walk around, and I'm getting a little sick of sitting around. Perhaps we could go for a stroll?" Jedite offered. Anything was better than another evening stuck in the hotel: He'd read and re-read all of his books, and only strenuous activity caused Jedite discomfort. Nothing that would hurt with a change of venue and some fresh air.

"Actually...yeah, I'd like that." Jedite could sense Raye's energy peak once again as she accepted the offer. How odd, that would make her so excited.

"It...it would be just us, right?" Raye asked, looking towards Mina, who now appeared to be sneaking glances into the scripts, perhaps wondering if she got that role she'd auditioned for. She'd be disappointed: Those scripts did not have that part of the role.

But Jedite considered the question. Should it be just the two of them, or should Mina come along too? He'd spent a good amount of time with her before, practicing for the show and such, He'd never spent much time with Raye, they were too busy with Scout business. Nephrite knew how to keep him on his toes, that much was for certain.

But doing such a thing would be rude. Raye may be incredibly elated at the idea, but an afternoon out was just an afternoon out, there was no reason to get excited about it. If something interesting happened, they could get excited then.

"No, why would we do that?" Jedite stood up and grabbed a pair of sunglasses, a trick Saffron taught him so that he wouldn't get noticed as a celebrity and mobbed. While he could disguise himself, he wanted to expend as little of his energy as possible to recover quicker.

He felt Raye's energy weaken, and she frowned. She preferred it to be the two of them? It would be significantly quieter, Jedite supposed. If that's what she wanted, why did Mina come with them here in the first place?

And as Jedite thought about it, he could feel his own pulse starting to quicken. Why did the idea of spending the time with Raye alone make him so elated?

* * *

"This is such a beautiful day, isn't it?" Amy smiled as she enjoyed the visually spectacular arrays of flowers.

Beside her, Serena and Lita nodded. While all three girls were enjoying themselves, Amy knew she had to be completely vigilant. This show held all the hallmarks of a Negaverse trap: Springing up quite randomly, a visually pleasing tableau, and a large crowd of people in attendance.

Amy scanned with her microcomputer when she had a quiet moment, and, while she detected a very high quantity of pollen in the air, nothing else seemed to jump out at her. She wished Raye or Jedite had come with them: Both of them had the capability to sense dark energy and presences. But Jedite was still on bedrest after all his injuries in the last battle, and Raye was determined not to leave Mina alone with him. Amy still shuddered when she remembered having to stay home a day due to a mild case of the flu, and Mina had offered to help out around the house. To say it was a disaster was being polite.

"Are you enjoying the show, ladies?" A friendly female associate, her hands holding pruning shears, came up to the three girls.

"These are so lovely! I wish I had a boyfriend to give me flowers as beautiful as these." Serena looked at the flowers closest to her.

"Serena, those are chrysanthemums." Lita gently corrected. "If he's giving you those, something bad happened." Amy giggled just a bit, and so did the sales associate.

"That's true, young lady, but first and foremost, a flower must be loved. Stick around for the blossoming of the Moonblossom, and afterwards, I think I can be convinced to let you go with some seeds for yourself." The sales lady said very pleasantly to Serena.

"Right! We're not going anywhere, I could really brighten up my window." Serena smiled. The woman smiled back, and disappeared into the crowd.

"Sounds a bit fishy to me." Lita scowled when the woman was out of earshot. Amy agreed, it certainly seemed like Malachite to do something like that.

Serena sneezed twice as Amy was contemplating.

"Bless you." Amy remarked, reaching into her purse to give Serena a tissue.

"Think I'm going to need more than that." Serena shrugged.

"Go find the bathroom then." Lita shrugged, and Serena excused herself.

"I didn't think she got allergies. She has Luna in her house at all times."Lita remarked. Amy was about to tell her that allergens could differ from person to person. But shr was distracted by the man next to her with his girlfriend or sister or someone. He sniffled and sneezed a bit just like Serena did. There were a number of people whose allergies seemed to be acting up today. They willingly went to a flower show despite this?

Amy was starting to feel her own throat clench up a bit and her nose start to run, so she went in Serena's direction to find the bathroom. As she did, she noticed the woman from before with the pruning shears, carefully tending to a spectacular rosebush. But her eyes were not watching the plant, trimming the thorns or getting rid of the stems gone to seed. She watching the people, her eyes narrowed as she saw them sneeze.

And Amy was sure of it now that this was a Negaverse plot.


	145. On the Precipice

Once safely in the restroom, Amy blew her nose and rinsed out her mouth. When she was alone, she scanned the air with her microcomputer. There was still some pollen in the air, but the concentration was significantly weaker inside.

Lita had seemed to pick up on Amy's quick movements and followed her, and understood completely once Amy explained it to her.

"But how do we avoid the pollen?" Lita asked. It was too bad Amy didn't have a mask or anything. Pollen grains were quite large on a microscopic scale, and something that large would be stopped by that.

But she didn't have anything like that, and so she'd have to make do. Amy thought of the paper towels but decided against them: They wouldn't be able to be secured properly, and they would be too thick and constrict her breathing.

"I guess the best option would be to wait indoors." Amy replied. "The pollen's less thick here, we can wait until they strike first."

"Not the best option, but it's what we got. Have you seen Serena?"

"No, not recently." Amy frowned. Perhaps there were other bathrooms, but that meant Serena wasn't here to hear the plan, and she could be headed right back out there into the pollen. Who knew when the Negaverse would strike.

"_The communicator." _Amy thought, and reached into her purse to pull it out. Just as she was about to dial Serena's frequency, a loud announcement came on the speakers.

"Attention everyone, the Moonblossom is about to open." A soft female voice called into the intercom.

"Uh-oh." That was what Amy thought would be the trigger to Malachite's plans. She dialed the communicator quickly: Time was now her enemy.

* * *

"Oh wow!" Mina was excited at some of the high end shops they were passing on their walk, but Jedite and Raye remained mostly restrained as they walked patiently. Jedite was enjoying the fresh air more than anything right now, it felt like it had been so long since he had done so: That fight really must have taken a beating out of him.

"Mina, you're drawing attention." Raye muttered, but Jedite knew Mina wouldn't be able to hear them. And even if she did, she wouldn't change her behavior.

"Is this what you normally do whenever you go out?" Jedite asked.

"You should see her and Serena together. Sometimes me, Amy, and Lita can't keep them corralled." Raye laughed. Jedite smirked back, he could only imagine.

"Can't we get some of these dresses? They'd look really good on you, Raye?" The window-shopping Mina took very close look at a window stand. Jedite glanced over, just to see what the fuss was about. Indeed, Mina did have an eye for fashion.

"If my pocket money budget was about several hundred thousand yen I might consider it." Raye remarked.

"So you're really asking me if I'm going to buy you that dress." Jedite snidely commented. As a movie star who spent all his free time saving the world with his own powers, that didn't leave much time for hobbies, so he accrued money really quickly

"Awww..." Mina moaned, and turned away from the window. Hoping to find a place without any shops, Jedite decided to take a shortcut through the park.

"I remember Serena told me a story about this park. This is where she first saw Ms. Haruna ogling you." Raye teased.

"Don't remind me." Jedite growled. One night with that desperate woman was enough. He still liked to jog through this park, though. Just at a time when that woman wouldn't be there.

"So, did you guys want to hit the..." Jedite was beginning to feel a little parched, and was about to offer to take the two girls out for a soda.

"Hold on!" Mina rose her hand up and went ramrod straight.

"Something wrong?" Jedite asked. He didn't sense any dark energy nearby.

"It's him." Mina returned. "Max Princeton! He's the ace on the baseball team! And he's...he's going to be my boyfriend!"

"Going to...what?" Jedite asked.

"It's better you don't ask." Raye sighed.

"He's waiting for someone, I can see it. Now's the time...to strike!" Mina cheered as she headed over to this man she was curious about. Raye was right, he really didn't want to know.

"Let's leave her to it, then. I was about to ask if you wanted to hit a soda shop or something, I could use a drink." He offered to Raye.

"That sounds nice." Raye smiled, and Jedite could sense her energy elating again. Leaving Mina to her work, the two headed out of the park.

* * *

Chad was a very nice man, and he was doing his best to be courteous and respectful. It would help a lot if he wasn't so nervous. But some guys were like that, couldn't talk to women very well. There were women that did the same.

Saffron didn't know that much about Jed, having only seen him "when he drops by the temple", but he knew much of Raye, and said that she and the other schoolgirls Raye hung out with spent time at Jed's apartment. He kept the place really clean, Saffron would never have guessed he had visitors so often. He always kept to himself. Given that he was...whatever it was he was, human or whatever, that wasn't surprising. Did those girls know this?

Chad didn't know where Raye, and Jed, were off to, so they were just walking to the fresh market, but who knew, perhaps Saffron could glean a clue from what Chad remembered of Raye's movements.

But nothing came to her as Chad headed inside the store to do his errands. Saffron waited outside, lost in thought. Where did he go, after that? No one would have believed her saying he was some kind of monster, and when she talked about it to Director Abernathy, he thought she was nuts. Jed had played it cool then. So why vanish now?

Maybe she was going nuts. Maybe she hit her head. Maybe it was something other than what she thought. Lots of things it could be.

Next door was a soda parlor, she could get one and maybe rethink this whole thing. It did sound silly, when she said it to herself, after all.

But she didn't even make it to the door before she saw something through the window. Jed and the temple girl, right in front of her, sitting and sipping sodas and eating crepes as if they didn't have a care in the world.


	146. Short Stopover

Jedite and Raye found a nice place to enjoy some light refreshment while Mina bounded after that boy she was interested in. It was silly the way she acted, but also rather funny and a little touching.

But Jedite wasn't thinking much of Mina as he engaged Raye in small talk. He was focusing on what was in front of him, and he was surprised at how relaxed he was. Ever since the whole Saffron thing at the studio, this was the first time he was ever freely rested. With Raye. How unusual.

"Have they ever told you what's going to happen after the season's over? With _Precinct 52?" _Raye asked. If someone like Serena had asked him, Jedite might have gotten upset.

"I'm actually not certain. With, well, all the chaos that's been happening, I'm not exactly certain. The reviews are still coming in strong, but I...I don't know. It may be odd to return there. If not, well, some other networks have been making overtures. Starting fresh may be a good idea." Jedite answered very calmly as he ate a crepe.

"Well, you know that business better than I do." Raye remarked. Her energy seemed a lot less erratic, but it was still quite enhanced and excited. Elation, that was the best word for it.

"And I'm not human. So, that's enough about me."

"What else is there to talk about. The only things in my life are school, the temple, and Scouts. And with Chad taking more of an active role in the maintenance there, that's not a whole lot."

"So he actually stuck around? I'm a little surprised. I thought he'd flake."

"So did I, but that's okay. Someone can be there to help Grandpa no matter what if he needs it, and those two are just like two little boys. Makes Grandpa really happy." The two shared pleasantries for a while, and then, when their refreshment was done, Jedite put down his money and the two resumed their walk. Mina hadn't returned from chasing her date, so either she was successful at it or something else came up.

No emergency calls, so whatever it was couldn't be that important. So the two continued their walk, but as Jedite kept moving, he had the feeling he was being watched. The energy of the walking crowds was a quiet murmur to his senses, but there was a quiet fire within someone behind him. Energy directed towards Jedite himself.

But he couldn't sense any evil energy at all. Neither a youma, a Shitennou, or anything Queen Beryl could throw at him could be the target. And he was in his normal disguise, it couldn't be a random passerby loving Harvey Sigurd.

"Raye, we're being followed." He told Raye.

"Really..." She started to look behind her.

"Keep moving. I don't know who it is, but they're taking pains not to be seen, and it's not Scout-related." He quickly informed. "We'll duck down the next alley and take a look. I'm curious to know just who this is."

* * *

As soon as Amy and Lita got outside from the bathroom, they were greeted by the sight of many people, guests of the flower show, doubled over, many on the ground, coughing, sputtering and choking.

Was this the effect of the pollen? Amy wasn't about to waste anymore time.

"Mercury Power!" The coast was clear, no one was looking at her, so Mercury transformed. Jupiter quickly followed suit, and started to investigate. They took very slow, sudden breaths, but they didn't seem to feel like the people on the ground. Perhaps, now that what they planned was triggered, they didn't think to do it again?

"Serena!" Sailor Jupiter quickly called, and ran forward. Amy followed Lita's direction, and saw their leader, in her human form, on the ground curled up in the fetal position. She was conscious. While she obviously was not choking due to her coughing, her face was beginning to turn blue as if she was.

"Well, well, what have we here?" A female voice regarded the two Sailor Scouts. Hovering in the air above them was a youma, with green mottled skin and leaves in her wild hair.

"It seems that you don't have a green thumb, girls. But that's okay, special guests like yourselves should be treated to the main event!" The youma glared at the two girls.

Jupiter stepped forward, and Mercury followed. As much as she wanted to help Serena, there wasn't much she could do with the youma in front of her. Luckily, she still had her bubbles. Cover would be very helpful right now, and the cold may help reduce the effects of the pollen on Serena.

From beside the youma, though, was a flash of pink light, and with a deadly glare on his face, Mercury was standing face to face with Malachite. He appeared so early? Was he expecting Jedite, or had he changed his tactics?

Either way, Mercury knew she'd soon have to adapt hers.


	147. Carelessness

As Saffron followed Jed and the temple girl, Raye, she was shocked to see them duck down an alleyway. As a rule, growing up in a city, Saffron knew to avoid walking down them. The scummier side of life often lurked there, hidden from modern society.

Jed wasn't exactly the most...normal of people, so he might not be familiar with the way the world did and didn't work. However, Saffron wasn't about to be deterred. Raye was, by all accounts, normal, and she was going in as if there was nothing to fear.

Quietly, Saffron maneuvered her way into the alley. The alley turned further back but she didn't see anyone inside. Jed couldn't have moved that fast, could he? How could he disappear into thin air?

Saffron took a few tentative steps forward into the alleyway, and still, no sign of him. No footsteps, no nothing. She kept moving, coming towards the bent in the alley. She took just a peek before she heard something behind her.

"Of all the people following me, I didn't expect it to be you." Jed's voice sounded behind her. Startled, Saffron nearly stumbled as she turned around to see Jed standing smack dab in the middle of the alleyway. Where did he come from? Teleportation or something?

"Jed." Saffron started to shiver as she regarded him. He looked the same as he always did when he wasn't going incognito, his normal blond hair. But, here in the alley, and after everything that happened, he almost seemed menacing.

"Hello, Saffron." His words were cordial, but his tone was icy. "Fancy seeing you again here."

"Where did you come from?"

"Irrelevant. Why were you following me?" Jed asked.

"I...I wanted to see you again. I need to ask you something." Jedite said nothing in response. Did that mean he wanted her to continue?

"Who are you?" She asked. There was really no other way to word it, unless "who" changed to "what."

"What's wrong with Jed?" Jed asked.

"Jed, I saw..." Saffron started. It was still scary to relive it.

"I know what you saw. I was there too."

"Why? Why are...why are you here?"

"I don't think there's an answer I can give that would satisfy you. I am an actor, and your co-worker, and that wasn't a cover or anything, it was my actual job. I live here in this world like you do. Why does anything else change that?"

"There's a big difference, Jed, I mean, that isn't normal?"

"Lots of things aren't normal to most people." Jed pointed out. "What happened may not be normal in your life, but it is in mine, just as going to high school was once normal for you and now it's not."

"There's a...There's a big difference, Jed." Saffron firmly stated. To start with, the things that were odd in her life were bad hair cuts and the odd cousin looking to her for a "leg-up" in the entertainment industry. Not people who had fancy destructive powers and weren't actually human. They didn't possibly compare.

"Really, how so?" Jed asked. "Human or not, I'm still Jed, it's the name I answer to. How easy was it for Director Abernathy to spin Harvey Sigurd from air?"

"That was just a stage name, it was completely fake. I may not have been born Saffron but I'm...I'm still human!" Saffron wasn't sure what to think right now, and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"I see." Jed's tone remained cold and aloof, but he frowned. "So that's what's important." Saffron was about to retract her statement: It sounded so...racist, although she only came to that word because she couldn't think of a better one.

"Hey!" A female voice called from behind Saffron. She turned to see Raye, the temple girl, walking out from the alleyway. Had she been hiding there the whole time.

"How can you say such things? Weren't you two friends and worked together?" Whereas Jed was cold and calm, she was completely outraged. Saffron did feel bad about it, and turned towards Jed again to correct herself. But when she turned, he had completely vanished. Not a trace, as if he was a ghost.

Saffron frowned, and she could feel Raye's stone-cold glares behind her.

* * *

"Hmph." This would be so easy, Malachite was actually annoyed. Only Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury had made an appearance. Just like that party, but with no Jedite here to back them up. Weakling though Jedite was, his individual power eclipsed the Sailor Scouts as a group. The only thing that could match Malachite in power were Queen Metallia and the Silver Crystal. Neither of which was here.

"You pig!" Sailor Jupiter, the one in green, glared at him.

"Jupiter Thunder..." She started, but Malachite didn't really have the patience to be bothered. His mission objective was not here, neither was Jedite for his much-needed revenge. This was just...boring. Quickly, he unleashed a quick wave of energy to knock the brat off her feet.

Almost immediately, Sailor Jupiter staggered back to her feet. He supposed he could find her determination interesting, but she still hadn't grasped the idea of the difference in their strengths.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury ran interference, as she always did.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Sailor Jupiter attacked from cover. A reasonable use of tactics, but not for someone who could teleport like Malachite, who picked a new location about ten feet off the ground.

Once the fog cleared however, neither Sailor Mercury nor Sailor Jupiter could be seen. They had vanished.

"_What?" _These girls were like cockroaches, they just did not die. Like Jedite, they were remarkably talented at running away. They'd leave these humans here? His youma, Raphesia, had triggered her pollen to expand slightly, but this was just enough to render the crowd debilitated. Enough to force out Sailor Moon, but not kill her, in case she was in the trap. The energy of the people, due to the massive strains they were under, was a chaotic swirl, and picking out energy like that of Sailor Moon would be quite the challenge, but it wasn't undoable, and she wouldn't be able to fight back.

At Malachite's command, Raphesia's pollen could cause these humans to choke and eventually suffocate. These two Scouts would leave for that?

No. Sense and sensibility weren't part of these girls's vocabulary. They'd stay and help these fools, save their lives at the expense of their own.

"_Speaking of humans..." _Malachitethought he remembered there was a human beside him on the ground, a young girl with a ridiculous hairstyle. She wasn't there anymore.

He barely regarded average humans. Perhaps due to the fog, he didn't move straight up and she was somewhere in the crowd. No matter. Once the Sailor Scouts were killed, harvesting energy would be what Queen Beryl would order if Sailor Moon didn't show up. And after that, they were useless.

Malachite hovered over to the first human to check and see if she had a great power, and wondered if Raphesia's pollen would have affected Jedite as well? Should he check the men too?

"Hold it!" A familiar voice, that of Sailor Moon, led Malachite to disregard the humans once and for all.


	148. Defenders and Allies

It was not easy for Sailor Jupiter to haul Serena away, but Mercury's cover at least ensured she would not be followed.

Serena was still choking and really out of it, but she could still breathe, at least. That was good, but how was Jupiter going to get Serena back into fighting shape. In every battle they had fought with Malachite, he had left for what seemed to be his own reasons, not because he was making an escape. Without Sailor Moon, and the Silver Crystal, such a thing would rely upon luck to happen.

If it was like Mercury said and it was caused by the pollen, Jupiter had no idea how to fix it. It wasn't as if she could reach inside Serena's throat and pull it out like it was a new blouse.

Perhaps she could rinse Serena's mouth out, or make her swallow water. Would that clear it out? She had put a can of soda in her purse for later, Jupiter just hope later actually meant sooner to Serena than it usually did regarding food.

Serena's purse hadn't left her arm, even in the condition she was in now. Thank goodness for that, at least. Jupiter opened it up to see, but as soon as she touched the clasp, she felt something. A weird sort of sensation, like a pulse or a heartbeat. But it wasn't Serena's and Jupiter could already feel her own.

She looked into Serena's purse again, and again, she felt it. Inside of it were the normal things Serena kept in her purse: Her wallet, some of her makeup, and the Crescent Moon Wand.

The wand! Was that what gave off the strange pulse, the energy. Jedite and Raye were the ones who normally sensed energy, but even she could feel that one.

Quickly, Jupiter fished it out. Nothing happened when she gripped it in her hand. She'd seen Sailor Moon use it a number of times already, but neither the Silver Crystal nor the wand itself seemed to do anything in her hand.

"Ummm...Moon Healing Escalation!" She stated, holding the wand as Serena did. Nothing happened. She was sure she said it right.

"_Is...is it because I'm not Sailor Moon?" _Sailor Jupiter wondered to herself. And then, she felt the pulse a third time. Stronger, harder. Definitely from the crystal.

Unsure of what to do with it, she placed it into Serena's hand. As Jupiter moved her friend's fingers to clutch it, she immediately felt another rush of power, and the Silver Crystal began to glow, just slightly.

Immediately, Serena's breathing began to stabilize and become more regular. A second later, her eyes opened.

Lita remembered how, during that fight with Malachite after the crystal was formed, she felt better standing near the crystal. But she was Sailor Moon then, and had just used the crystal on the man. It only needed to be in her hand?

Perhaps Luna would know more about it, but in the time it took for Lita to process this, Serena was already on her feet, gripping her brooch, and "Moon Prism Power" came from her mouth immediately following.

"So Malachite's green thumb is more of a choking weed, huh?" Not the best analogy that came from Serena's mouth, but Jupiter ignored it. Gripping the crystal, she stepped forward, out towards where Malachite was.

She'd been getting bolder. Jupiter was inspired by it, by her leader, and knew she could give Malachite, who had amazing power, a real run for his money.

* * *

Raye was livid when she saw Saffron. While Saffron did seem a little upset at her poor handling of the situation, Raye knew just how truly sensitive to the whole "not being human" situation Jedite was. It bothered him a lot more than he let on, even moreso now, with him living in a hotel like some man on the run, which he was, now more than ever.

"How could you say something like that?" Raye's mind was going a number of different places, and she had no idea where Jedite would teleport himself to. The least she could do now is make sure everything was square away with Saffron, not him anymore crazy.

"I...I didn't mean it like that. It's just...I don't ask for all those things to happen. Crazy women throwing magic or whatever it is, I'm just a normal girl." Saffron's words echoed Serena's so very much. Saffron may have had more of an excuse: Destiny was not calling her to be a hero.

"That wouldn't change anything." Raye remarked. The Negaverse started by searching for energy, and that didn't require anything special on the part of the targets: Anyone could have been a victim. Many were, by Jedite, no less. And then it all changed that one night at the airport. He joined their side. And the rest was history, a history that meant a lot to Raye, and to Jedite, as well.

"Look, I know he's a great actor and he's awkward but not a bad guy, but..."

"Why can't it stop there?" Raye asked. She remembered what it was like to have Jedite and his plans as their enemy, but she learned to let it go. "Seriously, why can't it?" Part of Raye wished it was that simple, but she knew, in her heart, that it wasn't. Not for her, being a Sailor Scout certainly helped her to understand that there were lots of different things supposedly ordinary people could do, but for those who knew her.

Ever since she was young, Raye was always set apart from other kids. Her mother died at a young age, her father was a high-ranking politician. And of course, she had her...spiritual powers. Reading flames, predicting the future. The other kids, at school or wherever, always looked down on her. They thought she was different, a freak.

All of the Scouts were outsiders, in some way. Lita was so tall and tomboyish, Amy was very smart, Mina was a class A ditz, and Serena, well, she didn't need a whole lot of help for that. Just like Jedite said, that he was not wholly human was just a matter of details.

Talking was just making her upset, and Jedite was the one who needed to be reassured right now. Saffron would figure it out on her own. Hopefully, not too late.

* * *

Sailor Mercury had split with Sailor Jupiter in case the youma could follow them through the fog. It had normally worked before, but that did not mean it would work all the time. Once it faded, Mercury peaked from her vantage point that while Malachite was hovering slightly, he hadn't moved to follow Jupiter. Neither did the youma, who only started to prowl once the fog had faded.

Not long after that, Mercury could see Sailor Moon, striding out, with Sailor Jupiter in hot pursuit, towards the both of them.

Mercury wasn't close enough to hear them, but Jupiter managed to get Sailor Moon safe. She'd have to see how she did it once the battle was over.

Malachite didn't seem pleased to see Sailor Moon. Stoic as ever, he unleashed an attack, an attack Sailor Moon jumped backward to avoid, unceremoniously tripping and landing on her face.

'_She seems back to normal." _Sailor Jupiter stepped forward and began to unleash her thunderbolt.

Malachite did not move, looking clearly interested in the battle. Considering he only ever seemed interested in Jedite, that was good. Perhaps they could goad him into continuing and unleash the Silver Crystal on him once he was exhausted. Or, perhaps when his defenses were down.

Mercury unleashed another wave of bubbles. Cover was good for making quick escapes, but even better for setting up ambushes.


	149. At the End

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Moon was staring down Malachite when Sailor Mercury entered the fray, and Sailor Moon was glad for it.

"Moon Tiara Action!" She started with her tiara: She still didn't fully understand the power of the Silver Crystal, and always felt really weak when she used it's offensive powers, rather then it's healing ones. It would be better to save that until Malachite was weakened some more.

"Eh." She heard the sound of someone grunting, but the voice was female. Did she hit the youma instead. As the fog began to clear, Sailor Moon saw that Malachite had indeed hovered upwards and her tiara had struck the youma that was behind him.

"You still are but a child." Malachite chided as Sailor Moon's tiara returned to her hand, and back to it's normal gold form.

"Hand over the crystal before I get serious." He seemed to have even less patience than normal, which was saying something.

"Never! You Nega-trash will never get your hands on it. I am Sailor Moon, and I will always triumph over scum like you!"

"Want to play rough, do you? I can oblige!" Malachite drew his arm back and unleashed a wave of crackling pick energy. Sailor Moon had never seen an attack like that before, but everytime she fought Malachite, it hurt, and there was no reason to believe this one would be any different.

Sailor Moon gripped the crystal tightly, and it began to glow softly. The wave of energy rushed over her, and she could feel the pain biting her, but the wand glowed even more, and Serena never lost her step.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash." Sailor Jupiter attacked Malachite with her thunderbolts. They never seemed to do much normally, he'd always shield them the same way Jedite used to do with her tiara.

But this one hit Malachite, he didn't even look at it before it connected into him. It didn't do much to him, but it did connect, and there was a reaction.

Malachite flinched, but he did not let up. Serena realized, even with that youma still here, she was going to have to use the crystal against Malachite. Hopefully, she was tougher than the last time, where she nearly fainted after using it.

Just like Jedite and Raye had told her, she planted her feet firmly on the ground to keep herself steady.

"Cosmic Moon Power." She felt the power of the wand just as the words exited her mouth, and the crystal unleashed a wave of power straight towards Malachite.

This had a reaction, and knocked Malachite straight backward and into a stand of potted plants. Sailor Moon could hear him growl as he hovered up, covered in dirt and full of rage.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Jupiter attacked again, and Malachite outstretched his hand to deflect it. But as he did so, he still flinched, as if he didn't block the whole thing.

Sailor Moon gripped the wand again and prepared to unleash another wave of the crystal's power, but as she did, she immediately felt like she was going to fall over.

But she did her best not to show it. Malachite was hurting too, she could see the green blood she remembered he and Jedite both had. Maybe she could get him to run away, like he did sometimes before. If it was just his youma, she could handle that.

"You wretched cretin!" Malachite was breathing heavily, but he seemed to be steady, although that was hard to tell since he was floating.

"Master Malachite!" The youma called out, and ran forward to charge Sailor Moon.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Jupiter was ready for her move, however.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" And Mercury right behind her, combining their two attacks into one, and knocking her to the pavement.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" That youma may not have fought much, but it was weakened now and Sailor Moon needed to be able to strike before she fell over from exhaustion of using the crystal.

While the youma was bathed in light and reverting back to a human, the Scouts locked eyes with Malachite, who stared daggers straight back at them.

"This isn't over!" He eventually stated before teleporting away. Once he disappeared, Sailor Moon fell to her knees, panting.

"Sailor Moon!" Her two friends helped her up as she began to transform back into her normal human form. She was completely wiped, but at least she was still conscious, and she could walk, albeit uneasily.

"Let's get you some rest." Sailor Jupiter said reassuringly. The two girls de-transformed and decided to leave and find a comfortable place to sit while Serena regained some of her energy.

"So Malachite can only block attacks with his hands." Amy was furiously thinking of a strategy, mumbling things to herself and typing in her computer. Serena let her be: Giving Amy peace and quiet when she planned was like a birthday gift, even if it drove Serena crazy sometimes.

* * *

Raye didn't know where Jedite had gone, but she was certain it would be back to his hotel. Whenever he felt isolated, he went to be alone. Raye never got that, she wanted to be around others when she felt alone: The contradiction between feelings and reality helped.

The lights were on in his hotel room, after a firm knock, he opened the door.

"Figured you'd follow me here. I'm not in the mood for visitors right now, so unless this is urgent..." Jedite spoke dismissively, but Raye pushed her way inside.

"Or come in." He replied sarcastically. "I suppose you would want to talk about what happened earlier."

"I'm sorry." Raye did feel a bit bad for him. He did like his job, immensely, and Raye thought it helped him too. Now it's future was not so certain.

"You really shouldn't be, this was inevitable. For all the human world's advantages, it has it's drawbacks. That is...just another." Jedite remarked, and while he may have been telling the truth, it bothered him more than he let on.

"You know you always have us."

"That's really not the point." Jedite scowled, and did not seem pleased. "I know I have you, and Scout business and all of that. I am simply not pleased at other matters."

"She'll come around, it's just new for her."

"And when would that be? She's known me for months, we've spent a lot of time together and in a heartbeat, I'm a pariah. I expected this, you know. Even if Beryl was not around, I'd still have to hide all of what I am."

"Hey, we all do that..." Raye started, but Jedite's eyes glared at her and she realized she touched a nerve.

"Do not even think to compare our situations, Raye." He chided her fiercely. "I remember the stories you told me, and it doesn't compare. You are still human, and were a human for a long time before you were a Scout. And even as a Scout, you're still human. I am not, Saffron made that clear. I'm pretending, and that's all I do when I'm not fighting. You may be an outcast, Raye, but you still have a world of people with others somewhat like you. I'm the freak!" It was the loudest, and angriest, she'd seen Jedite. Perhaps even more than the time at the airport, just before his defection.

And in truth, she didn't know what to say: What could she say? Jedite may not have understood that, before Serena, she really was all alone in the world except for Grandpa. But even that wasn't the same: Before Jedite defected, he lived in a world with people like Zoicite and Malachite who betrayed and killed each other on a regular basis. And in this world, he was exceedingly limited. He could never just be. What could she ever say to that?

"No. You're right." She decided to just say what she thought. "We aren't alike, our situations could not compare. I'll never have to change as much about myself as you do. But Saffron's opinion can change, and it will. She's just surprised, she doesn't hate you. No one who knows you can hate you."

"Hmph, didn't we hate each other as enemies?"

"Things change." Raye replied, stepping a little closer. "You did, I did. She will too."

"It may be just words, but I like them." Jedite sighed, and seemed to relax. That might do. They looked at each other for a moment silently, Jedite seemed to be thinking intently.

"_He's distracted, and still hurting, though he's beginning to feel better. Give him a hug, he needs it." _Raye thought to herself. She immediately chastised herself for thinking that: This was no time for such a gesture.

"_Or was it?" _Raye stepped closer, and Jedite didn't protest.

But as she moved forward, there was a knock at the door. When Jedite went to answer it, the rest of the Scouts were standing there.

Amy had mentioned she had a plan, but Raye couldn't even hear it right now. All she could hear was her anger at Fate for toying with her.


	150. Price of Pride

When she received her mission from Master Malachite shortly after her creation, Ninjana was thrilled, and even more thrilled to be used so quickly. Her master had sensed a very powerful energy the very night of her creation, and, curious as to what it was with no orders from Queen Beryl, Ninjana was sent out.

Elegantly moving through the tress, Ninjana could feel the energy too, and it was quite powerful. Almost exhilarating.

She would have liked to engage, but was ordered against it. Malachite could not simply engage Sailor Moon haphazardly, it would be a death sentence now that she had the Imperium Silver Crystal, and seemed to be able to wield it, if not perfectly. This required precision, caution. Sailor Moon was a human girl when she was not in combat, and the Silver Crystal couldn't be used by a mere human, so Malachite deemed to seek out sources of powerful energy, and observe to see if one of them could be Sailor Moon, rather then engineer a scheme to force her out.

Energy sources like the one she was chasing. It was certainly powerful, but she didn't know anymore than that. According to Malachite, though, the Silver Crystal's power was so great, it made pinpointing it's exact location difficult. But as she neared it, she heard the sounds of a scuffle, a fight. Considering the energy lead her to a simple park, that fight would be the best thing to search for.

As she moved forward, she heard a female voice call out "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"

"_That was Sailor Venus." _Ninjana had been informed of all the Sailor Scouts, their attacks and strategies, everything that a scout such as her would need. It wasn't from very far, just over a nearby hill. She crouched, and peered over. Sailor Venus, the blonde one with the hair ribbon, had her back to her, and was looking at something else. Next to her, she could see Sailor Jupiter, another of the Sailor Scouts.

They were engaged in conflict? But Malachite hadn't made any moves yet. He was back at the base, there was no possible way he'd be in battle with the Scouts. And, as far as she knew, the Scouts didn't use their Sailor forms in mundane activities.

Was it infighting then? Certainly a possibility, Malachite mentioned a few times the traitor, Jedite, who killed Zoicite. But even without the traitor, Nephrite, another of the failures, and Zoicite did not get along.

"You're not escaping! Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Sailor Jupiter followed, but from her vantage point, Ninjana couldn't see who she was attacking.

"What!" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed in surprise. Either she missed or she failed, but not much longer after that, something seemed to dart in front of Sailor Jupiter and, with a quick flash of energy, knocked her to the ground.

"Jupiter!" Another voice, somewhere outside of Ninjana's view, called. It immediately followed with "Mars Fire Ignite" so it must have been Sailor Mars. Ninjana could see the fireball coming in.

"Too slow." A voice, a man's voice, replied to it. The sound of combat soon followed.

"Mars!" Sailor Venus shouted.

"I've grown tired of you." The man's voice snapped quietly before Ninjana could see a wave of force collide with Venus and knock her into a bush.

"So the only one still standing is you, Sailor Mercury." The man's voice spoke in the direction opposite Ninjana, so she decided to get a closer look from the nearby trees, and stealthfully teleported to them. Once her vantage was secure, she looked at the field.

Sailor Mercury, the blue-haired strategist, was still standing. Her back was to Ninjana, but her body was in a fighting stance, so she followed Mercury's line of vision.

Ninjana nearly fell out of the tree when she looked, for she was staring smack dab at Jedite, the fallen traitor marked for death by Malachite. There was pure venom in his eyes as he looked disdainfully at Sailor Mercury.

"You...blackguard!" Mercury shouted in anger.

"Fancy insults don't work on me, Mercury. I'd have thought you'd known that by now. Are we going to be reduced to talking on a battlefield, or have you come to fight?" Jedite spoke with a tone of pure bitterness. What was he doing fighting the Sailor Scouts. They worked together, And Mercury called him traitor?

He was a traitor to the Negaverse for his defection to the Sailor Scouts, and for assisting Sailor Moon in gaining the Imperium Silver Crystal.

"How could you? How could you do that to Sailor Moon?" Sailor Mercury called. Come to think of, Ninjana noticed that Sailor Moon hadn't been present in this battle.

"I did what had to be done, Mercury. It's a shame you couldn't understand that." Jedite returned.

"She was..." Mercury started.

"She was a weakling and a failure and didn't deserve the Imperium Silver Crystal. She could not use it's power the way it was meant to be used. She was not willing!" Jedite interrupted. Afterwards, he reached into the folds of his uniform jacket, and started to pull something out.

And Ninjana's jaw dropped as she saw his hand emerged, for, tight in his grip, was the Crescent Moon Wand, the one Sailor Moon used, with the Silver Crystal still firmly attached. It looked a little feminine in his hand, but it's blindingly bright energy could not be denied.

"She could not handle me, she could not save the world. And now, the Crystal is mine." Jedite smiled with a glint in his eyes that made even Ninjana nervous. He may have been considered the least of the Shitennou, but the Imperium Silver Crystal could compensate for much.

"You know, if I was sporting, I'd let you walk away from this, there's nothing any of you could do to stop me. But, I can't leave anything to chance."

"Traitor." Mercury started to attack, but Jedite quickly intercepted her, and, with a few swift punches, knocked her away.

"Heh. That's what a lot of people call me. Might as well enjoy it." Jedite shrugged, put the crystal back in his jacket, and started to turn around, only pausing to look directly at Ninjana. He glared at her, and his eyes narrowed, and Ninjana knew she was detected. Jedite could sense energy, sneaking up on him would be impossible.

He started to reach back for the Imperium Crystal, and Ninjana teleported away. She had an important report to give, anyway.


	151. Plans

"All right, I don't sense that youma's energy anymore." Once Jedite was certain the coast was clear, he called out to the Scouts.

"Ow. I thought we were faking it." Venus stood up slowly.

"Sorry, but I had to go over the top a bit to make it believable. Youma aren't really known for their higher-level thought processes, they don't get subtle cues."

"That explains the melodrama." Jupiter sniped.

"Laugh it up." Jedite wasn't pleased. "Brilliant plan, though, Mercury. Whoever that youma was, they're on their way to Malachite and Beryl right now." Jedite praised.

"I noticed during our last fight that Malachite can only block from one direction. It's perfect for leading him into an ambush." Mercury blushed at the praise, and quickly explained herself.

"And what better bait than something he can't refuse, me with the Silver Crystal? Even if he could refuse it, Beryl would order him after me." Jedite couldn't help but laugh. Due to Malachite's power, Jedite's first course of action was always escape when dealing with him. But from what he was told, there was, perhaps, a way to catch Malachite off guard, and allow someone to get a powerful attack off at him. And if the Silver Crystal was used, that would be it: Even Malachite couldn't survive that thing.

"How'd it go?" Mercury's communicator began to beep, and Jedite could hear Serena's voice from the other end.

"It seemed to work. Now we start Phase Two." Mercury informed her.

"Aww, and I was starting to like the little vacation." Serena groaned. The farce depended on the "fact" that Sailor Moon was dead, so she could not transform until the trap was sprung. It figured she'd use it as a vacation.

"Perhaps with this extra time, you can concentrate on your exam in two days." Amy lectured, and Jedite could hear Serena's return groans. He needed to waste no further time on this part: Part 2 relied on him again. And now, he used his disguise powers to return to his Harvey Sigurd disguise. Ever since he realized Beryl knew where he was, he rarely went in this disguise simply as a precaution.

But now, he wanted to be found. No one from the Negaverse could sneak up on him since he could sense their energy, so he wouldn't be taken by surprise. The only surprise now would be for Malachite, and the noose wrapping tightly around his neck.

* * *

"Friction, you say?" Of all the reports Beryl was expecting from Malachite about his next mission to obtain the Silver Crystal, this was not one of them.

"My servant, Ninjana, saw it quite clearly. Jedite had the Imperium Silver Crystal and fought off an assault by the Sailor Scouts." She had heard the story twice already: Twice because she could hardly believe it the first time.

As if on cue, Ninjana, a masked female youma Malachite had created, stepped from behind her master, and produced for Queen Beryl a photograph. On it, she saw quite a scene, of Jedite violently attacking Sailor Mercury. The Crescent Moon Wand, that Sailor Moon held the Imperium Silver Crystal in, was in his hand, although it did not appear as though Jedite was using it to attack. Perhaps he did not know how to wield it.

Beryl's knowledge of the crystal was not great, but she knew that only certain people knew how to utilize it's power. If Jedite couldn't use it, then she need not fear it's power as long as it was in his grasp.

"Give the word, Majesty, and I will attack." Malachite could probably see the elation on her face.

"Malachite, I agree this opportunity is one we should take advantage of, but blind force will not accomplish our mission. We must do this precisely. Allow me to think on this for a moment. Ninjana, was it?" She spoke directly to Malachite, and then, addressed his youma.

"Yes, my Queen." Ninjana showed the appropriate deference. She may have been created by Malachite, but she knew her true master. Unlike Jedite, or even Malachite, who questioned, a youma did what it was told. There were times when that was needed. Now, with Malachite's rash behavior, that wasn't going to be the case.

"Please stay a moment, I wanted to ask you a few more questions regarding this battle you saw. Malachite, I will summon you when we are ready." Malachite looked at his queen oddly. He was questioning her, even now. But eventually, he vanished.

"My Queen. I shall start from the beginning." The youma began to follow instructions.

"There is no need. I have a different mission in mind for you."

"My Queen?" The youma questioned.

"I know where Jedite was hiding." Beryl informed. "I had attempted to send another youma after him, but she engaged him in battle and was defeated. You, I don't think, will run into that problem. I only wish you to observe from a distance. Jedite's detection abilities should be hindered by the power of the Silver Crystal, he should only be able to sense that. I want you to find him, and then report back to me where he is hiding. And do not share this with Malachite, simply tell him you are looking for him. Can you do this for your Queen?"

"Yes, Majesty. I shall not disappoint." Ninjana bowed, and vanished in a puff of smoke, and Beryl laughed. She knew there was definitely more to this. It was in character for the take-charge Jedite to be fed up with Sailor Moon's purely reactive approach, but to actually kill her? That was odd, but if they were acquainted, perhaps he did it with stealth.

In any rate, Jedite was now alone, just as he was before. All creatures feared being alone, and he was no exception.

If Beryl played her cards right, she might be able to gain an exceedingly powerful advantage to her cause, and get out her frustration from the perpetually failing Malachite in one go.

Jedite's plan was bold, but Beryl knew hers was bolder still.


	152. Her Touch

It was very unusual that Queen Beryl revealed to Ninjana that she knew where the traitor, Jedite, was hiding. She had not sent her own force after him? Or even Master Malachite?

But those thoughts were silenced almost as immediately as they came. Queen Beryl may indeed have known, but that was her decision whether or not to act upon it. Her will was to obey her commands and execute them faithfully. The chain of command was not to be usurped.

The place Beryl described was a quite lavish apartment, tastefully decorated. The Jedite that had been described to her preferred very Spartan quarters, given that he never used them except for sleeping and planning.

Then again, he was incognito, of course he would make things look different. At first, this place looked as though it hadn't been lived in for quite sometime, but she could sense residual energy from this place. Someone had been here recently, with powerful dark energy.

Ninjana could look around for clues to determine where the traitor might frequent, but she risked disturbing the place. Jedite was a stickler for details, and would notice if something was out of place.

Footsteps from outside caused Ninjana to quickly compact her form and hide. A key turned in the front door's lock, and quickly after that, the door opened to reveal a dark-haired man with a suitcase in his hand.

It looked nothing like Jedite, but the energy was there. Queen Beryl had told Ninjana that Jedite's human disguise was an actor named Harvey Sigurd, who was disguised with dark hair.

The traitor looked healthy, and his energy was quite powerful. A battle would be one-sided if Ninjana engaged him: Queen Beryl certainly meant that point abundantly clear.

The traitor dropped his suitcase on the ground, and took a few steps into the apartment.

"Come out!" He called. "I know I'm not alone here." And that gave Ninjana pause. The Silver Crystal wasn't blocking his senses? He could sense her.

The only thing she could try was a bluff, so, while his back was turned, she assumed the guise of her human form, an intrepid and inquisitive reporter.

"Wow, wow, is this Harvey Sigurd in the flesh? Oh, I'm so jealous." She gushed like all humans seemed to do. The traitor's gaze leveled on her, and he crossed his arms across his chest.

"So, Harvey, let's dish, first reporter ever to get an exclusive interview after all that happened. Rumors are flying about the break in scheduling, care to comment on it?" Ninjana spoke fast, and remembered the previous missions Queen Beryl had informed her of, the ones she was instructed never to let Master Malachite know.

"Haha." The traitor laughed. "Reporters don't usually break into private apartments. Or work for Queen Beryl. Let's drop this charade, shall we? I've no patience for it." And with that, Jedite dashed forward. He must have used his telekinesis to move even faster. Ninjana may have been fast with her shruiken and teleportation, but the traitor was faster still, and soon, he had her by the throat.

"What's with that disguise?" He questioned. Ninjana supposed a disguise was pointless at this point, and returned to her normal form.

"Queen Beryl must be getting feeble if she thought such a feeble youma could do anything to me. Her own personal youma couldn't do anything more than slow me down."

Ninjana could not reply, Jedite had her by the throat, but even if she could, she wouldn't know what to say.

"I sensed your energy yesterday, so you know full well what I am capable of, and what I can do to a creature like you. Luckily, you still have a use to me. I'll let you live. Take a message to Beryl!" He ordered her sharply. Jedite had no authority over her, but her mission was to gather intelligence. This would certainly qualify.

"I'm going to disappear now. But I'll be in St. Savior's Park at 10pm tonight. If Beryl wants the Silver Crystal, she should come herself rather than send some weakling after it." He delivered curtly, and realized his grip, letting Ninjana fall to the floor.

Not wanting to chance upon Jedite changing his mind, and needing to get this information back to her queen, Ninjana teleported away without another word.

* * *

"_It's almost too easy." _Jedite chuckled. Perhaps Lita was right, he was overacting a bit, but he couldn't argue with it's results. He knew just how this would go down. Ninjana would have to report everything to Malachite, and Malachite would not tell the Queen and meet Jedite at the park himself. Jedite would hold the crystal just to maintain the illusion. Malachite would attempt to parlay, just to lure Jedite off his guard, or to sucker him with a promise of Beryl's mercy should he give the crystal to her. Then the Scouts would ambush, Sailor Mercury would use her bubbles, and Jedite would teleport to Serena and return the crystal, creating an illusionary fake for himself. With Malachite distracted, Serena would blast him from behind with the crystal's power.

That would be it, Malachite couldn't stand against that. Queen Metallia couldn't stand against it. With Beryl's most powerful enforcer gone, Jedite and Amy could start planning an offensive, as Beryl would have only youma under her command, youma Jedite could slaughter with one hand.

Jedite was prepared, he knew his role in this drama was not to be the hero, but to be both bait and assistant. He was actually content with that, he couldn't use the Silver Crystal's power. He had tried it once, just to see, and, just like a time Sailor Jupiter tried, it did nothing for him. It would take the Silver Crystal to defeat Metallia, and he could not do that.

He'd be fine with slamming Beryl's head into the ground anyway.

* * *

"I see." Ninjana had relayed her story to both Malachite and Queen Beryl, and the monarch had to very carefully consider her next move.

"Jedite has gotten quite arrogant. He deems to make demands of you?" Malachite was indignant, and Beryl too, could not believe her former subordinates audacity.

But at the same time, she could not simply ignore it. The Silver Crystal was truly that important to her mission, and if Jedite was telling the truth, it would be a place to find him. Considering how easily he could disappear, such an avenue should not be shut.

"I will wipe that smug look off of his face and return with the crystal held high!" Malachite stated.

"Patience, Malachite. Jedite told your youma this with full knowledge it would be passed on to both of us. He may be many things, Malachite, but pride seems to be something he can swallow if he's hidden among humans for so long. He's planning this."

"_But what does he hope to do?" _Sailor Moon would not willingly give up the crystal to Jedite unless he could use it better than she could, and he couldn't. Was he hoping for an ambush? What good was an ambush without bait and surprise attack: Jedite could not be both.

Beryl would have to consult with Queen Metallia more about the Silver Crystal, to figure out more of it's mysteries since it was so close. But as for Jedite himself...

Malachite was still talking, probably making his own feeble plan for attacking Jedite. But Beryl stood from her throne.

"I believe this will require a different sort of touch."


	153. A Real Queen

"We're all set on the plan." Late at night, when Jedite was certain he could sense no dark energy in the vicinity of St. Savior's Park, he made sure the scouts were all on board.

"No need to remind us, we're good." The Scouts had transformed already, except for Serena, just for security's sake. Raye was in charge, and everyone seemed ready to act on a moment's notice. Good, with that, Jedite was certain this plan would succeed, they would eliminate Malachite, and then, they would not have to wait to deal with Beryl. She'd have only Darien, who was already weak to the power of the Silver Crystal, and her youma, which could be defeated very easily as long as they did not overextend their reach.

Now, Jedite needed to get into position, and make sure he played the part of a loner. Surely both that youma, who, being one of Malachite's, was partially human, and Malachite himself would surely arrive early.

He found a place in the park that was completely quiet, no human energy at all was nearby, not that human energy could be detected well with the Silver Crystal so close in proximity.

"_Where are you?" _Jedite wondered, keeping his battle stance ready, prepared to dodge and move at a moment's notice.

"Well, well, isn't this quite a sight." Jedite could hear Malachite's familiar voice from behind him. Turning around, Jedite noticed his former comrade standing on top of a very tall structure. As always, his face showed a completely aloof expression.

"So, you're here."

"With such a brazen request, how could I not be?" The plan seemed to work on Malachite, he didn't look around at all for anyone else. That was good. All he needed to do now was keep him talking, get Malachite to lower his guard, then spring the ambush.

"So, do you have the Silver Crystal?" Malachite asked.

"Whatever difference it makes to you. It's not like I'll give it to you by any means."

"Have you truly forgotten the difference in our strengths?"

"Have you forgotten our track record?" Jedite echoed. "How many times have you had to slink off to Beryl with your tail between your legs?"

"Hmph." Malachite said nothing, Jedite knew he touched a nerve.

"Let me see that crystal."

"You can sense it, that's enough."

"I am not here to fight you, I am only here to see if you possess it." Malachite's statement threw Jedite for a loop. That was the bait, to draw Malachite into an attack. He did follow Beryl's rules, but he was willing to subvert them to suit his needs, like attacking Jedite. Why wasn't he doing it now?

Jedite reached into his coat and pulled the Crystal out. He saw Malachite's eyebrows widen as he witnessed the crystal.

"Satisfied?" Jedite returned the crystal to his coat. If that provoked him to attack and start the plan, then that was what he'd do.

"That is the real crystal." Was what Malachite said. And then, he did nothing. He did not attack, nor attempt to teleport away to set an ambush. He just stood there. Jedite took a few steps back just in case.

"Where are you going?" Malachite asked.

"What are you up to?" Jedite questioned. But Malachite didn't answer. Instead, in the air in front of him, between the two men, a bright, pink ball of light materialized. It hovered in place, not moving towards either of them. A second it materalized, into a shape, a form. The form of a woman with long red hair, wearing a slinky purple dress and form-fitting black underneath.

A woman both men knew very well. And a face Jedite hadn't seen in a long time. The face that condemned him to death. Queen Beryl herself.

"Jedite." She stated firmly, her tone betraying nothing. And Jedite could barely hear her over the sound of his own heart pounding.

* * *

Jedite looked much the same as he had a long time ago, but there was very much different about him. In the way he held his stance, the look in his eyes. Stronger, more focused, determined. It was necessary for him to develop this things when he survived here in the human world.

Queen Beryl knew her presence would change much. Jedite had always been coy in her presence, he knew what she could do to him. Forever Sleep could not be invoked here: She needed to be close to Queen Metallia to do that.

For now, though, she had no need to do that.

"It has been quite some time, hasn't it." Beryl kept her tone level. She did not expect Jedite to bow, as he used to, now, not that she ever required it. Jedite didn't say anything, but Beryl could see the color slowly drain from his face. He was not expecting this. Not that she blamed him: She normally wouldn't have done this at all.

"The Silver Crystal is my mission. Even I am a subordinate to someone, and at Queen Metallia's will, I have come. And I see that you do in fact, have the crystal. Well done."

"You...you can't honestly expect I would hand it over to you!" Jedite said angrily, re-gripping the Crescent Moon Wand that held the crystal in his hand. Tightly, he held on to it for dear life.

"And why not? Wasn't that your mission?"

"You tried to have me killed!" Jedite angrily accused her.

"Who hasn't tried to kill you?" Beryl returned. "And what you have done, with your subordinate failing you at every turn, underestimating a bunch of little girls and..."

"I am not that person anymore, you do not have power over me."

"Is that so?" Beryl asked. She then outstretched her arms, exposing herself widely.

"Strike me down, then." She commanded. "Take that crystal in your hands and use it's power to eliminate me." She watched Jedite's face turn completely puzzled. She had nothing to fear, her consultation with Queen Metallia had revealed some of the crystal's mysteries to her during the consultation, and there was no doubt in Jedite's mind that it's power could not be unlocked by him.

"You...have gone crazy." Jedite remarked.

"You will not? Or can not?" Beryl posed. "Inside of the Crescent Moon Wand, the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal may only be used by the Royal Family of the Moon Kingdom. Queen Serenity was one, and she is dead. Princess Serenity was another, and you've taken care of her. That crystal now is little more than a glorified back-scratcher."

Jedite's face didn't react when Beryl told him this, so she reasoned he had attempted to use it's power already. Attempted and failed, obviously.

"And even if you could use it's power, Jedite, you wouldn't be able to properly enjoy it. Do you know the secret behind it's power?" A rhetorical question, as Beryl knew that he did not.

"It is not a weapon, or a tool, but at the same time, it is both of these things. The power of the Imperium Silver Crystal is great indeed, for it has the strongest power of all. It grants it's wielder his or her wish."

"Their...wish?" Jedite seemed confused.

"Well, I suppose it would more accurate to say it gives you power to make your wish a reality." Beryl saw absolutely no harm in revealing this information: Jedite couldn't use the crystal no matter how hard he tried. It was no failing on his part: Beryl couldn't use it either. It was just simply reality.

"But such power cannot come without a price, and the body, whether human, Shitennou, or whatever, cannot handle such strain. The price of utilizing the full power of the Silver Crystal is the wielder's life. So Jedite, if you desired my life to end that badly, and the Silver Crystal deemed you worthy, I would be nothing before you. But I would drag you into the darkness along with me, and the future you wished for would not be yours."

She could sense conflict in Jedite's face. The nature of it was unknown to Beryl, but conflict, at least that of an internal nature, inevitably sprung from one source: Doubt. Unlike the Silver Crystal, anyone could use doubt as a weapon against their enemy. And there was nothing better to uproot strong, seasoned warriors. A thousands blows could be endured, but a whisper in the back of the skull only got stronger when the attempt was made to deny it.


	154. Treachery

"Truly a price to pay, isn't it, Jedite." Queen Beryl had to deny all of her instincts, that is, to overwhelm her former subordinate with force and take that Silver Crystal. He'd survived far worse with Malachite a number of times, and he was nearly Beryl's equal in strength.

Beryl could watch her subordinate's face crinkle in thought. Was he thinking about Sailor Moon, the Moon Princess, whom he killed and took the crystal from? In most circumstances, that would be extremely fortuitous, but Beryl would not rest until the Silver Crystal was with Queen Metallia. She could not be blind to some sort of contingency.

And if a contingency could be formed, it could come from anywhere. Even from someone who didn't know what to do with it.

"And why should it be paid?" Beryl questioned. "The Silver Crystal is not the only way one can achieve their desires." It was Queen Metallia who gave power to Beryl, after all.

"What are you planning?" Jedite's tone was defensive, but Beryl could see in his face that he was more nervous then anything else.

"Much has changed, Jedite. I had lost faith in you, and thought nothing of you. I questioned if you survived after learning the Sailor Scouts survived the explosion, but I eventually didn't think it was worth pursuing. But here you are, you've proven me wrong and shown me what you can really do. It's...something I never thought possible. A reason."

"A reason?" Jedite questioned. "A reason for what?"

"To accept you." Beryl stated after a moment of silence.

"Accept? You...you can't be serious."

"Am I not?" Beryl questioned. "My mission has always been tantamount, and reaching for greatness has always required sacrifices. It seems an appropriate exchange: The Silver Crystal in exchange for your greatest wish."

"Majesty!" Behind her, Malachite questioned as deeply as Jedite did. Beryl ignored him: His failures made him as useless as the other Shitennou before him, power or no power. Beryl only looked at Jedite. He was confused, struck. He had no idea this would be given to him like this.

It needed to fester, grow. She'd seen Jedite broken and injured before, but now was when he was at his most vulnerable.

* * *

"_What is going on?" _Sailor Mars didn't know what to think when she saw the strange red-haired woman appear in front of Jedite, floating in the air. This woman had never been seen before, but Sailor Mars knew that it was Queen Beryl. Jedite had described her before, but Sailor Mars could tell from the way Jedite reacted. He was so calm and confident before she showed up, and now he could barely stand on two feet.

She was too far away to hear them clearly, but it seemed as though Beryl was making an offer to him, something that made Malachite, who was floating behind Beryl, react with protest.

"What's going on?" Serena, who was supposed to be hiding completely, asked. Sailor Mars didn't know.

"_It doesn't matter." _Raye thought. Beryl could make all of the offers she wanted, Jedite would never fall for it. He was on their side now. The ambush plans would have to change with Queen Beryl here, but they were in no danger of Jedite defecting back or anything. He'd never rejoin that witch.

And it was that thought that kept Raye carefully hidden, and not charging out. The other Scouts watched her, and did not move. She'd be ready to spring the trap once they were ready.

* * *

Jedite was so surprised at Queen Beryl's arrival he could almost not consider her words. The truth about the Silver Crystal troubled him greatly. The power part made sense: Queen Metallia was almost utterly annihilated, and sealed for centuries, with it's full power. But what had happened to Queen Serenity, who bore the crystal in ages past, following that? She had not been reborn as the others were. So the Crystal claimed her life.

If that was the case, what would happen if Sailor Moon used it? She seemed alright the other times she used it, but she had not tapped into it's power.

But even that was driven from his thoughts by what Beryl told him next. If she thought he'd just hand the crystal over to her, she had gone completely insane. Did she think he'd be swayed by such pretty words. He knew the value of a promise from her: She kept them only when it suited her, she'd betray him the second his back was turned.

"There is much that could be offered, and so easily granted. Is it revenge that you seek? The end of Malachite? For his failures, I certainly deem it warranted." Beryl's tone was icy, as it always was.

"M-Majesty!" Malachite exclaimed with a stutter. She was kidding, she might actually do it.

"I don't think there's anything you could truly offer me that I'd want." Jedite stated defiantly.

"Your lips may say anything, but your face betrays you. It always has, Jedite. You do not even know what you want. I know the struggles you've endured in this world, hiding like a rat not just from me, from but everyone, pretending to be a simple actor, just a face in the crowd. When even before, you and I both knew you were much more."

And for a second, Jedite forgot his outrage, for he knew that truly, this was the case. Beryl wasn't making this up: He did hide, the world knew only an actor who never spoke of himself. This wasn't a matter of protection like the Sailor Scouts did: Even if Beryl was gone, the hiding would remain.

Jedite couldn't say anything, and his grip loosened on the Crescent Moon Wand for a second.

"Now!" Jedite heard Malachite shout, and Jedite immediately, trying to throw up a barrier. He could feel Malachite's telekinesis tugging at the crystal. Jedite gripped the crystal tightly and threw up a barrier, hoping that it would block for a moment while he thought of a better plan. Like signalling the Sailor Scouts.

But the opportunity never came, for the telekinesis stopped. Jedite saw a blast of energy slam to Malachite from outside his field of vision, knocking the man off his perch and straight to the ground.

Rather then follow Malachite's descent, Jedite followed the direction of the energy blast, and saw it come very neatly from Beryl's orb. She had attacked her own subordinate.

"We were talking." She said to Malachite's falling body, her tone level as always.


	155. Twisting The Knife

Beryl had attacked quickly in her assault on Malachite, so she knew that he would survive the attack. It was enough to hurt, enough to set the powerful man to the ground. How dare he, when Beryl was so close! Her task, to sway Jedite's mind, would now be even more difficult. A powerful show of force in his favor would help, but Jedite would be ever suspicious. Such was his way.

"Where were we." Beryl calmly returned to her normal speech. "Distractions are so unbecoming to civilized conversation, but I do hope that it served it's purpose. I am serious in many things, Jedite, and have always been so of the great mission."

"S...Serious or no, Beryl, I know what you're capable of. You'll strike the second the Silver Crystal leaves my hand.

"Shall I?" Beryl questioned. "Even you could bring it to Queen Metallia, if you so chose. After that, what reason would we have to turn on each other. The universe would be Queen Metallia's, and we'd have it all. We need not see or think of each other, be that our wills. Is that your worthy ransom, Jedite? To end this battle with your own hands and we never see each other in the new world? Tis a compromise that can be easily arranged, though I truly doubt you would want that."

"And you'd think I'd prefer what, to return under you?"

"Was loyalty to me such a difficult master? Your results left much to be desired, but you've forged a strength here to make no longer the issue. You've seen both sides and now you can be informed. You think you've found freedom, but is truly what you are? You're bound, Jedite, and you'll never escape that. Look at the human world you hide in, and the humans you hide among. Are they truly worth keeping around?"

Jedite didn't say anything for a moment, but Beryl could read it in his face.

"Were they not cruel, selfish? Someone who discovered your identity, did they treat you as friend, or as foe, something to be feared. And you think that with me and Queen Metallia gone, that will change? It won't, Jedite, and deep down you know it more than I do. All your freedom has given you is the choice to choose where to hide. It's left you sinking when you have the power to be collecting stars."

She knew she was right. That was the easy part. The hard part was pushing Jedite just enough that he'd take the bait. He knew there was a hook, there was no way around that, even if Malachite hadn't performed his plunder.

And so, Beryl waited. Now was the time to wait.

* * *

Beryl made a lot of sense, as much as Jedite didn't want to admit it. He got along with Saffron so well and it completely evaporated the second she discovered the truth. Even when she confronted him in the alleyway, it was not kind. It mattered to her, it would matter to more people. The Sailor Scouts and Darien had the benefit of being acquainted with the Negaverse, but others did not. Not Andrew, not Lizzie, not the Director and the other actors. They'd all view him as the freak, a demon or some other horrid creature. He could go someplace new, but it would be a matter of time before he was discovered again. His powers were a part of him, a huge part of him. It would as if Andrew was asked to give up everything about medicine, Lizzie about fashion design.

It seemed a very bleak prospect. Was that the future? Beryl and the Negaverse weren't the only reason to use his powers, and his green blood would show as easily from an injury fighting Beryl's forces as it would from a simple paper cut.

It wasn't as if his powers weren't controlled, they wouldn't lash out like a rabid beast. He was less dangerous to those he knew then some crazy with no powers and access to weaponry. But it was the unknown, humans feared the unknown. All of the Scouts had mentioned they too, were outcasts. Because they deviated. Amy and her incredible book-smarts, Raye and predicting the future, Lita's Herculean strength, and Mina's downright ditziness.

"_The Scouts." _Jedite thought. If he went back to Beryl, surely they would be killed when Queen Metallia awakened. All of them would be powerless before her. And then...what? A life alone? Even if Beryl did keep her word and left him be, what would that world hold? Or, loyalty under Beryl, his next mission? That life, Jedite still remembered it. Youma may serve him again, follow his orders. He could have it all back if he so chose.

It didn't take long after leaving to make Jedite realize that life was meaningless to him. Those youma did not possess the capability to tell him anything different than what he wished to hear. And that life, while it bestowed gifts and luxuries, had no more acceptance then the one on Earth. It was limiting, certainly, but so was a life under Beryl. And he had the Scouts here, who accepted him, battered past, former enemy, and all.

And there was a joy in those relationships. The ones with humans, even if things were hidden. And with the scouts, their relationships were both professional and private. Serena's cheerful words. Lita's friendly conversations, Mina's bungling of famous phrases that even Jedite knew. Intellectual discussion with Amy. And Raye. Raye, whom he could tell anything. Who gave her honest answers. Raye, whose heart and energy went aflutter whenever the two were alone. Jedite's own did it too. All of those would have been the same with Jedite's powers and history, or without them.

Beryl only considered the prospect of alliance because she wanted something. The others: Serena, Raye, Amy, they gave him the choice. It was his choice to assist them, and then ultimately join them. They would have allowed him to walk away.

"You're right, Beryl. About many things. You were our leader not because of some fluke. And there are many things you've said today that were correct. But...there were many things that are wrong. Freedom may not be everything, and it may not have been my first choice when it was forced on me. But now, I have a thousand ways to go, and I'm not choosing backwards. I will never return to you except as your enemy, and the day we each other again, it will be my life, or yours." Jedite's voice lowered.

"I see. Then I will finish what I have started!" Beryl lowered her voice.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" The ambush sounded, and soon the Sailor Scouts would join the fray.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" The Scouts could combine their attacks, and would need that power against Beryl.

Jedite doubted she'd stay long: She only came here for the chance to finish her mission: She was not a fighter. But the ambush was sprung, even if it was for Malachite.

It could trap her too, if it was done right.


	156. Almost Gone

Sailor Mars moved the Scouts immediately as soon as she saw Beryl preparing for an attack, and they intercepted before she moved.

"So. It is an ambush, then." The Queen, once she noticed the Scouts taking battle stances, seemed to surmise the trap. This was the first time Mars had ever seen the monarch, and Raye wanted to speak to her even less.

"You certainly are clever, Jedite. Bold, but foolish. A true shame." Mars wasn't sure if her tone was sarcastic or not, but she didn't care. She was going to fight beside Jedite and the Scouts, and they'd beat this Queen, right here and now.

They still had Serena in hiding. They could use her.

"Malachite!" She called out an order to Malachite, who was standing, but appeared injured. Beryl's attack must have really caught him off guard.

"Eliminate them all, with my full authority. I won't stand in your way." And with that, Beryl teleported away in a flash of light.

"No!" Jedite protested. It was too late, she was gone.

"With pleasure." Malachite growled.

"Malachite, did you not realize what just happened?" Jedite turned his attention to his former comrade, and Sailor Mars was just as confused as he was. She saw Queen Beryl blast Malachite with that attack, not to mention freely admit to killing Malachite if it meant the crystal would be hers.

He'd still follow her, despite that? Beryl must inspire fierce loyalty indeed. But it wouldn't sway Jedite, nor would it sway any of the Scouts. The plan was still good. All they needed to do was lay cover with Sailor Mercury, so Jedite could whisk the crystal to Serena, and the trap could be sprung.

* * *

"Malachite, are you more insane than usual? Did you not just see what Beryl did to you." Jedite addressed Malachite. He never thought he'd see the day where he would be talking to Malachite like this. After Zoicite's death, the only thing on the silver-haired man's mind would have been Jedite's death.

But Malachite was no idiot, he saw what Beryl had done to him. And he'd know that Beryl wouldn't do something like that unless she decided Malachite was of no worth to her.

To Jedite's surprise, Malachite didn't answer, he merely picked himself off the ground, began floating, and launched an attack. Straight at him.

"Did that hit to your head knock your brain out?" Jedite shouted, dodging the attack. "Why are you fighting me now?" Malachite again did not answer, and merely attacked again. Jedite dodged the attack by floating upwards, and prepared a retaliatory strike of his own. But when he looked at Malachite to aim, he noticed that the look of pure, unadulterated rage in Malachite's eyes was gone. Instead, it was replaced by...emptiness. A sheer sadness and downcast eyes accompanied his perpetual frown.

"Malachite, stop. Enough." Jedite told him. "Beryl's abandoned you. Fighting for her sake now is pointless."

"Pointless? I'd expect such defeatism from a traitor like you."

"Think on it. Beryl's attacked you once in full sight of me. Unless you bring the Silver Crystal back, the only thing you'll end up with is Forever Sleep. And you're not getting this crystal. I can disappear in a heartbeat and you'll never find it. Beryl won't take kindly to that."

"That was a bluff. Queen Beryl's...her tactics are supreme." Malachite was covering.

"You can't convince me of that, you don't even believe it."

"Are you suggesting I betray Her Majesty? I would never!"

"You didn't betray her. She betrayed you, just as she did to me. You know it's true, you were the instrument of that." Jedite pointed out, and to his surprise, Malachite seemed to mellow out, just for a second. He paused his attacks.

"Beryl doesn't care for any of us, and if she succeeds her mission, whose to say she won't destroy the allies that could threaten her rule. Disappear, Malachite. Beryl won't follow you, she won't care."

"You suggest I hide like you? I am no weakling to cower in shadow?"

"No. Beryl's hand is forced, and soon the final battle will be coming. She won't win, that much is clear. I'm saying you don't have to die with her."

"I should ally myself with the Sailor Scouts, my sworn enemies. And you, Zoicite's killer!"

"The Scouts were my sworn enemies too, and fate lead me here. I'm not asking for you alliance, Malachite. I'm asking for your neutrality."

Malachite actually seemed to consider the offer, much more than Jedite expected. The truth of the matter was, Malachite was now where Jedite used to be, at the precipice, just after his betrayal. Nowhere to go, all alone in the world. What he needed now was someone to show him the way. Accepting Beryl's truth had blinded all of the Shitennou to alternatives: It was sheer luck that Jedite saw his, and Nephrite did too late.

Jedite hoped Malachite would choose to disappear. Neutrality, that didn't bother Jedite one bit. Malachite would learn and adapt to the human way of life, have his powers and hide them. The two men would never need see each other again. Like the promise he gave Beryl, but Malachite would be more likely to keep it. Once he started to live, revenge would seem hollow.

But in a flash, Malachite scowled.

"You'll not poison me with your venom. Ninjana!" He called to his youma.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury followed. The youma would need to be dealt with, and only the Silver Crystal could handle that. They needed to bring Sailor Moon back.

Perhaps, with Beryl's set of eyes gone, Malachite would be amenable then. Jedite doubted it, but he'd been wrong about more important things before.


	157. No More Shitennou

Teleporting to Serena was a very easy, she hadn't moved from her spot. It had to be easy, or else the plan would not have been pulled off.

Jedite said nothing to her as he passed her the crystal. Quickly, he willed his illusionary powers to create a fake Crescent Moon Wand. It wouldn't stand up to close scrutiny, it emitted absolutely no energy at all to speak of. Originally, it would keep Malachite's intention long enough for an ambush, but now, they had to use it on whoever this youma Ninjana used to be.

No matter. Malachite would not flee now, he had no place to go. Returning to Beryl would be a death sentence. If it was just Jedite himself, he'd disappear with teleportation, and let Malachite experience how vastly alone this betrayal had left him. But the Scouts were here, and they could not do the things he could.

Jedite teleported back quickly enough for Mercury's fog not to fade away, and once it did, Ninjana and Malachite would think nothing had happened.

"Which of you Scouts think they can take me on?" Ninjana called, stretching the fingers of her hand to reveal a few shruiken hiding in her fingertips. Not something that would bother Jedite much: They seemed solid enough, which meant telekinesis could deflect them.

"You're ours! We fight together!" Sailor Jupiter stepped forward and charged Ninjana, who dropped her stance backward to throw her weapons. However, Jupiter anticipated that, and instead of continuing, she dove off to the right.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Immediately following, Venus, off to the left, attacked.

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" To be followed even quicker by Jupiter, the two attacks converging on Ninjana at the same time. Jedite was impressed, he didn't even teach them a tactic like that. They must have pieced it together from watching previous battles with the Shitennou, how energy was harder to deflect when it struck from multiple angles at the same time.

"Evil Spirit, Begone!" Sailor Mars went forward with her ofuda. Once it was placed, Ninjana fell to her knees.

"My turn!" Sailor Moon, now in her transformed state, stepped out from the bushes. Before Malachite could even react to her, she unleashed the healing powers of her Crescent Moon Wand, quickly turning the oddly-garbed Ninjana into a brunette haired woman in a rather frumpy outfit.

She was unconscious, but fine. She'd recover in a moment, like all humans did when they were changed back from youma. Now, though, it was time to deal with Malachite. The general didn't do anything as his youma was defeated. He didn't look shocked at all, perhaps he was finally recognizing the pattern of consistent defeat.

"Malachite, it's over. Your youma is gone, Beryl's was willing to kill you for me. We've got nothing to fight over anymore." Jedite told him. The Scouts clustered behind him as Jedite took a few steps forward.

"Pointless." Malachite did not look at Jedite or the Scouts, and his voice was quiet. There was disquiet in his face, as if he was weighing his options. There weren't many, not that Jedite could see.

So Jedite said nothing, and just let Malachite stew for a second. After a few seconds, Malachite focused on Jedite.

"Everything thrown against you failed. This is your answer, Jedite? Your answer to blowing you up and leaving you for dead? Defying the odds and ruining everything?"

"The Sailor Scouts defied the odds from the beginning, I had little to do with that. All I did was provide insight, and then some sabotage. Beryl is doomed, Malachite. You know it."

"I do know it." Malachite's answer surprised Jedite.

"Good. Then there's no point to..." Jedite started to talk, but Malachite interrupted. But not with words, with an energy blast straight across Jedite's face. So very much like the first strike Malachite gave him at the airport, so long ago.

"What the..." Jedite scrambled to his feet and regarded Malachite.

"Pointless, you say." Malachite's tone was cold, but there was no rage in his voice. "If it is pointless, then I will give it meaning. You and Beryl have taken Zoicite and my duty, everything I had, and I will take them back. You both will perish by my hand! That is my only purpose now." And Malachite attacked again with a wide wave. It was all Jedite could do to attempt to deflect it, but the force of the blast still knocked him down again.

"You're completely nuts!" Sailor Mars screamed out. "Mars Fire Ignite!" She immediately followed with a retaliation, one Malachite harmlessly deflected. So he wasn't being completely illogical, but still, he'd given himself over to utter chaos. The only thing that mattered to him now were his and Beryl's deaths, that was all.

Jedite wasn't about to enter some sort of "gentleman's agreement" where they go after Beryl first: Malachite would never honor it, and Jedite himself planned to live as long as possible.

"All in one place. Good. I'll eliminate you all and use the crystal to get close to Beryl. This is the end, all of you!" Jedite prepared himself for another attack. And Malachite did, but not a normal wave of energy. Instead, Jedite watched as energy coalesced into Malachite's hands, into a crescent-shaped object, which he threw. It traveled in an arc like a boomerang, but it not dissipate or fade like normal energy.

Jedite had never seen Malachite use an attack like this, but he didn't have time to think about it as he ducked to avoid the attack.

"Ergh!" He heard Sailor Venus grunt to his left, and out of the corner of his eye, he watched her drop to her knees. The energy boomerang nicked her, just a little bit. But with just that nick, Venus was down, practically for the count.

Mercury fell down next, and the boomerangs started to increase their speed. What were they going to do now? Getting touched by those boomerangs was enough to hurt severely, who knew what a severe attack would do. And Malachite looked to be charging up an attack all his own.

"Jupiter Thunder..." Jupiter tried to retaliate, but the boomerange caught her in the arm, and knocked her down.

"Jedite!" He heard Sailor Mars call out before she crashed into him, barely giving him time to avoid the boomerang headed straight for the back of his head.

He tried to get up and help Mars, but she shivered and quivered, Jedite noticed the gash lightly bleeding in her back. She took the shot for him.

Rage and emotion began to spill into him once again. Malachite was wontonly doing as he pleased, attempting to kill left and right, even those not important to his mission. He'd given himself over to despair and madness, there was nothing to save within him.

Jedite stood up, and saw the boomerangs coming. He turned towards Sailor Moon, and nodded towards Malachite.

"Wait for the signal, you'll know when." He told her, and then, he planted his feet firmly on the ground, outstretched each hand towards the boomerangs, and tried to stop them with his telekinesis.

As a rule, stopping energy was not done with telekinesis. Living people were hard enough, but energy was just that, energy, hard to pinpoint down to move. You could block it, but to actually usurp control of it required a great amount of power. Power Jedite never thought he'd have.

But he put his force into it, all the power he could muster. In each hand, towards each of Malachite's boomerangs, trying to slow them down.

And they started to slow, but their path didn't change. They continued to move towards Jedite, but he didn't budge. Jedite wouldn't budge: Raye and the others were down, they needed help. His and Sailor Moon's, and this was his role.

The boomerangs slowed even more, and came close enough to Jedite that he could feel the wind displaced from their movement. But their speed slowed to a crawl as they neared Jedite, as he crossed his arms over his chest, shut his eyes, and felt only the energy.

They arced around his body, not coming into contact with him or Sailor Moon behind him, their speed slowing even more.

And, at once, Jedite seemed to snap out of his trace, raised his arm towards Malachite, and in flash, the boomerangs took off at top speed towards their former controller.

Malachite was so shocked he didn't have time to react. Jedite's aim, due to his fast moves, wasn't as accurate as he'd like, and one boomerang missed completely. But the second struck Malachite right in the hand, and he winced.

"Cosmic Moon Power!" That was all Serena needed to see, and she unleashed the power of the crystal as Jedite dove out of the way. In a pink aura, the crystal radiated from the wand and struck Malachite square in the chest.

And he dropped, dropped to the ground, coughing up a bit of green blood. Jedite took a few steps towards him tentatively as Sailor Moon looked to the fallen Scouts. Malachite looked up for just a second to look at Jedite, and Jedite could see the rage was gone, just like it was from Zoicite before the end.

"Zo...icite." Malachite's breath was ragged, and he coughed up some more blood. Jedite doubted he could be saved, even with the Silver Crystal. Would it even work on the Shitennou?

There wasn't time anyway, for Malachite's form began to dissipate into energy. Soon, Jedite was staring at nothing.

Jedite didn't move for what felt like an eternity. He could hear the Sailor Scouts standing up behind him, but he did not acknowledge them.

"Jedite?" He heard Sailor Mars call out to him.

"I am ready to leave this place and move on with my life." Jedite said, without looking at her.

"Are you..." She started, but Jedite interrupted.

"I don't want to talk right now. For the first time, Raye, I ask for your pity and say leave me be forthe moment."


	158. Fate's Cruel Timing

It didn't take long for the Scouts to heal. Being around the Silver Crystal helped, but even then, the wounds they suffered were not great. Perhaps Malachite's attack was meant to debilitate, rather then inflict fatal injuries.

They went back to the temple, Grandpa and Chad were already asleep, but none of the girls or Jedite could. Thankfully, there was no school tomorrow.

"What happens now?" Jupiter asked as they sat around the table.

"Beryl lacks adjutants except potentially for Darien." Jedite explained. "And he hasn't been around for a while."

"He's weak to the Silver Crystal, if I remember. Beryl wouldn't send him after us if we could combat him easily with that." Amy informed, and Raye agreed.

"She might plan a way around it, or else she wouldn't have bothered taking him back, right?" Mina asked.

"Beryl is a mystery even to me, now. I never thought she'd be this desperate. Scary things can happen when one is desperate. However, I do believe we are in the advantage. We need not wait any longer to take the battle to her." Jedite delivered.

"Are you serious?" Lita asked.

"I agree. Without the Shitennou, Beryl cannot do much with her own youma, just send them out individually, and we've been able to wipe those out. Taking the fight to Beryl is a sound strategy." Amy agreed.

"What about that thing, with the crystal?" Mina asked, and that gave Raye pause too.

"That is what happened to Queen Serenity." Luna had informed. "Unleashing it's full power did cost her her own life." Affirming what Beryl had told Jedite, Luna addressed the crowd.

"There's got to be another way, we're not giving up Serena like that!" Mina stated firmly.

"As annoying as you can be, Meatball Head, I don't support that option either." Raye returned.

"We may not have another choice. There is nothing as powerful as the Silver Crystal that I know of. I can't say I'm thrilled with the idea either, but I don't have any other ideas to propose." Luna agreed.

"Sailor Moon uses the crystal before and just fainted. Even Malachite fell pretty easily, and he was strong." Lita remarked.

"Maybe we can weaken Queen Metallia the same way." Raye offered quickly. "All of us attack her, beat her up, then Sailor Moon doesn't have to use all of it's power. She might faint again, but she'd still be okay."

"That's a good thought." Amy agreed. "Jedite, you know Queen Metallia better than all of us, what do you think."

"Queen Metallia is incorporeal." Jedite informed. "She doesn't have a body. I think that's the reason why Beryl wanted her to use the Silver Crystal. She has no body to cause undue strain upon, its power is hers to wield with impunity. I don't think there's much of her to 'beat up' persay. You can't injure the wind. But, that power of hers has it's own drawback."

"Drawback?" Serena asked.

"She's confined. That's why the base never moved even when Beryl knew I was alive and could teleport there at my leisure: Metallia's stuck where she is unless she has a host. That was why we were gathering energy, to revive and awaken her."

"So if we remove Beryl from the equation, does that mean Metallia will starve?" Amy asked.

"Starve may not be the right word. She can't be killed by lack of energy, but she won't be able to do anything. She may even go dormant." Jedite started.

"So if she's dormant, we can figure out the power of the Crystal, or another alternative, at our own pace and deal with her then." Raye finished.

"We don't have to go immediately. Let's take a few days to plan, train, and prepare. This is the final battle, we should treat it so." Amy remarked, and Raye agreed.

And it only took a week to batten everything down. Jedite was a wealth of information he provided eagerly, and Amy was quick to work it into a plan. The goal was for Jedite to serve as distraction and slay a great number of youma, which he was best suited to do, while the Scouts moved in as a team while Beryl was distracted.

Raye didn't like the idea of Jedite serving as a distraction, but he was the one who proposed the idea: His teleportation was infinitely more precise than the Sailor Teleport being that he had been in the base before, and they would need a distraction lest the youma attack them en masse. Eliminating powerful youma and making their deaths known would cause them to hesitate. Even beasts knew fear, and that hesitation would make all the difference.

It would go down tomorrow. The final battle would be tomorrow. Jedite insisted they stay in his apartment that night: They would be less likely to be seen by a random visitor at the temple. While Jedite offered the girls his bedroom, Raye refused, and while Serena and Mina took the guest bedroom, Raye, Amy and Lita slept in the living room.

She couldn't sleep, she was thinking too much about tomorrow. It was all over then. They'd work together, defeat Beryl and Metallia. And what would happen next? Would their be other foes, or would they earn peace?

What would happen with Jedite? He would have had no one hunting him anymore, he'd have the world to do as he liked. Would he continue to work with the Scouts, even when there was no need?

That was his choice, but Raye hoped he'd stay. She could feel her heart race whenever he was around. She took that hit for him, the one Malachite threw. Lita had told her to make a move before someone else did, and what better time could it be than now? Just before the battle.

She knocked on his door.

"Enter." He said, and she walked in. Jedite was dressed for bed, but not in bed. Raye blushed a bit as she kept her gaze on his eyes.

"You can't sleep, huh?"

"How could you tell."

"Well, unless you sleepwalk, you're in my room. But I can sense energy, remember? It's lower when one is asleep. I decided to stay up until I knew you guys were out. Don't stay up too late. Rest, even if you can't sleep. You'll need it tomorrow."

"I know. I'm just worried."

"Our team is solid, and Beryl's in a corner. We'll win. I'm more concerned about what happens when my contract is up. Which new season should I sign on to." And he smiled.

"You're okay with this? I mean, I know what Beryl did to you, but she wasn't the only person in the Negaverse, right."

"She may as well be." Jedite replied. "Youma only exist to serve the will of their masters. Only the Shitennou could truly make judgments, and we know how they acted. You need not worry about me: I'm over Beryl and nothing she can do can change that."

"Okay." There was silence for a while between them, and Raye was screaming in her own mind, trying to form the words in her mouth.

"_Would he get offended? Confused?" _Raye was two seconds away from bailing out.

"You've been a very good friend to me." Jedite smiled. A friend? Was that what he saw? Or did he not know how to word it. He mentioned before he didn't know anything about love.

"Jedite...we...we have more than that." She stepped in closer, he didn't protest. He didn't deny or act confused, he just smiled. Jedite so rarely smiled, only ever when a well-thought out plan was executed flawlessly.

"Of all the things I thought I'd find when I started my life here, this wasn't one of them." Jedite's voice was significantly softer.

"But Raye, I'm afraid this is not the time for such a thing."

"What?" Raye was so surprised that was the only word she could get out.

"We're about to enter the greatest battle of our lives. Beryl may be weakened, but she neither fool nor weak. What we want...Beryl could exploit it, very easily. Zoicite did it with Nephrite and Molly. I did it to Zoicite and Malachite both. It's just not practical."

"It's not about practical, emotion never is. But I love you, and I want you to be happy." Jedite was silent for a long time.

"You're different, Raye. Different from anyone I've ever met. I feel your energy change around me, and I know what it's like because I get so nervous around you. I wonder what you think of things I do when you're not around, and sometimes I'll teleport to the temple at night, just because it calms me. You make me happy, and, not a way of accomplishment or pride. But we have a mission greater than our personal feelings. We are soldiers, and all else must come second. You and I both have to be very strong for Serena." Jedite made sense. Why now did he have to make sense?

Raye was hurt, but she still stepped in close. Maybe this wasn't the best time, but at least she wanted a kiss. Just one, her first real kiss from a man.

But as she moved forward, she could feel a slight push against her body. Jedite's telekinesis did not allow them to touch.

"If I wasn't me, with all that's happened in my life, and we weren't about to save the world, then I would. But duty calls on us both to sacrifice for the good of the world. It just so happens it's more painful than most."

Raye stood as a statue for what felt like an eternity. And Jedite didn't move either. Eventually, he said only 'excuse me' and teleported away. Utterly heartbroken, Raye silently went back to her bed, and cried herself to sleep.


	159. Beginning of the End

Everyone was awake and rested the next day, fully prepared to make this the final battle.

"Be prepared, all of you." Luna and Artemis were the only two not going, so they were making sure everything was in order. Truth be told, Raye had no idea how exactly she was supposed to give a cover excuse for "we're going to save the world", but she had told Chad and her grandfather that she'd be out all day with the girls, and should be back by dinnertime. How long it would take was something Raye wasn't even close to being sure of, but she figured that would be enough time. They only had to beat Queen Beryl, and they were fighting as a team. Most battles didn't last very long.

"This is going to be unlike anything you've ever experienced, but you can do this." Artemis cheered. "Just try to treat it like any other battle you've been in, watch each other's backs, and you'll pull through."

"Everyone there who isn't me is going to be an enemy. Do not hesitate, not for a second. I can make them fear, but they will never ally with you. Do not be distracted by any sort of illusions. Everything is an enemy." Jedite told them. He mentioned nothing to Raye about last night, and Raye's mind was racing, even as she knew she'd have to blot it out, somehow. Just concentrate on the battles.

But Jedite didn't look her in the eyes as he started giving other orders, explaining the plan with precision. That had to mean something. After this was over, they would need to talk, and he knew that. He'd know that much.

"Alright, so after I leave, twenty minutes, and then you do your teleport. Mercury, here are the coordinates." Jedite explained. Hopefully, that would help with the teleportation, although none of the Scouts had ever done it before, precision could not be guaranteed.

"You're ready, Jedite?" Lita asked.

"Mm-hmm. Don't worry about me, I know that place well and I'm a wily old coot. I know what to do."

"Old, you're how old exactly? You never actually told us." Lita teased, and Jedite laughed. How those two could still be so chummy was so odd.

"Keep that attitude, you'll need it for the battle. All right, remember, twenty minutes. Hold fast, Scouts. We'll see each other when we get there." And Jedite, in a rush of teleporting wave, disappeared from sight. It looked the same as he always did whenever he teleported, but this...seemed odd. As if he was teleporting away for the last time.

"_Don't be so pessimistic!" _Raye criticized herself. Home in time for dinner after saving the world. She'd make that world with her own hands.

* * *

It was very quiet in the base when Jedite teleported back, and thankfully, his quarters were empty. Beryl wouldn't station a guard here? If he teleported back, this would be where he'd go.

Perhaps she merely lacked the attention, she turned to her next plan of attack. That would be like her. Too bad for her. Jedite started into the hallway. He needed a big scene, something to keep the youma, and Beryl, focused on him and not anyone else. The only place the youma would be gathering, though, would be the main hall, where Beryl's throne stood.

Most of those youma were Beryl's personal retinue, and while they were strong, they were not tough. A surprise attack could eliminate a good number of them rather quickly. And they would see the death that was coming for them, and grow afraid. Or they'd grow proud, and attempt to take Jedite down. Let them try, Jedite could handle himself with Malachite, the strongest Shitennou in existence: He could handle youma.

Jedite teleported into the back of the room, and all of the youma were facing forward, facing Queen Beryl seated on her throne. She did not look frazzled, as Jedite would have expected, but she did look very angry. He couldn't blame her, but he wouldn't have any sympathy for her.

A full blast from him would not kill Beryl, and he didn't have a very good angle at her from his vantage anyway. If he moved for a better one, he risked discovery.

So Jedite didn't move from his spot. He simply charged an energy blast in his hands, one of the largest and most powerful he'd ever done. The youma dared not look away from Beryl, she captivated their attention with simply her presence. Their defenses were down, everything screamed "Ambush!"

And Jedite unleashed his attack straight into the fray. It smashed into the backs of many assembled youma, knocking them to the ground and through the air. Some of them disappeared and disintegrated, not powerful enough to survive.

Were this a one-man mission, Jedite would have teleported away, back to his quarters potentially, and started a game of cat-and-mouse. Hiding, stealthily eliminating powerful youma as they went on high alert. Once he was too tired, he'd disappear back to the human world, where he was invisible, and the cycle would begin anew once he had recovered.

But he couldn't now, if he teleported away, Sailor Moon, who would be teleporting here shortly, would have the attention focused on her. Exactly where it didn't need to be.

So Jedite held his ground as the smoke and dust faded, and stood face to face with Beryl. Her earlier anger was replaced with something else. Serenity? No, Beryl's face was calm but her eyes showed the sheer anger fueled within as she saw him again.

"Did I miss the meeting?" Jedite started sarcastically. "So sorry, I'm late. We really need to get this closer to public transportation." Jokes Beryl would only slightly get, she knew a little of the human world.

"You dare come here."

"I came to tell you Malachite is dead. Your greatest warrior was nothing before Sailor Moon. You've failed, Beryl, you're in a corner. The last piece needs to go and I'm the one who gets to do it."

"You came here by yourself?" Beryl questioned. "Malachite was enslaved by his own delusions, delusions of revenge and forgetting his cause."

"You know, I've never had the courage to say this before, but you are completely mad. I'm sure I'm not the only one of the Shitennou to think. Did you know that, before he was killed, Malachite was going to kill you in addition to me."

"I am to care what one of my failures thinks?" Beryl didn't even seem remotely fazed by it, not that Jedite expected her to. All he needed to do now was keep her talking, looking, focused on him.

At least until the Scouts got here.


	160. Dealing with Traps

While it surprised Beryl to see Jedite in front of her, she could not allow herself to be distracted by him now. Jedite was anything if calculating, and, while his surprise attack was certainly a calculation, Jedite would never allow himself to remain once it was done if that was his only goal.

He had something else up his sleeve, but if it was some other ambush, he would have disappeared, even if it was just out of sight. He stood his ground for a reason, and it told Beryl he wanted to be seen. And if he wished to be seen, he wished something else not to be.

Beryl needed something to deal with that, but if she made overt moves in front of Jedite, he'd be suspicious. But Beryl had worked out her own contingencies, and she was sure she could deal with him.

"Did you think killing Malachite would impress me?"

"As I've mentioned before, Beryl, I'm not here for your approval. I just wanted to see the look on your face when you realize you're going to lose. You lost once against Queen Serenity, and you've lost again because of me. Does pattern recognition mean nothing to you."

"All it tells me is that I should invest better in my followers. And I've learned. Prince Endymion, come to your Queen!" Beryl called, and, to her right, the man answered to her call.

She'd used Queen Metallia's power to help fortify him against the Silver Crystal: He wouldn't be as vulnerable as he was the last time to Sailor Moon. Not that it mattered here: Jedite couldn't wield the crystal, he never could.

"So, you haven't given up on your brainwashing scheme. Tsk, tsk. Even I knew you needed to focus energy before it could be probably used. You've weakened him, and I could beat Malachite." Jedite didn't seem remotely fazed: He never was, and that was his overconfidence. That was to Beryl's advantage.

"You would feel nothing?" Beryl questioned. If she recalled, Harvey Sigurd, Jedite's human identity, was a name she had to erase many a time when she removed the human memories of Prince Endymion.

"I have already drowned my hands in blood." Jedite answered. True, perhaps, but Beryl could sense that he was bluffing, even if only slightly. Rationalizing emotions was not easy, and Jedite had little experience with it, hothead he was.

"Majesty?" Prince Endymion asked, confused as to the banter.

"It is nothing, Endymion. That is the traitor Jedite, I am not certain if you two have met before, but eliminate him. Do this for your Queen."

"As you command, my Queen." Endymion bowed. And there it was: Jedite and Endymion were a lot alike, actually, and Jedite had always been thought by Beryl to be her most loyal retainer, if not her strongest. And that worked out so well, he couldn't even die when ordered to.

But not Endymion: He was her best agent yet. And while he was dealing with Jedite, she'd discover what aces Jedite had up his sleeve.

Jedite could be distracted too. And that's exactly how Beryl would do him in. She needed now to find some youma not injured enough to complete her plans.

* * *

While Jedite had told the Sailor Scouts that the base was at the North Pole, Sailor Moon just did not expect just how cold it would be.

"He said it was in the crater there." Amy already had her visor out, and, through the snowstorm, the Scouts could see a very large smoking mountain. Underground, so it was said. That was fun, tons of rock overhead. In the movies, didn't the bad guy's fortress always come tumbling down? At least things seemed clear, Jedite was doing his role, and the Scouts needed to move quickly lest he be overwhelmed.

Sailor Jupiter took point, with Venus right behind her. Mercury was in the middle, still with her visor on, and Mars was in the back in case of an ambush.

Speaking of Mars, she'd been more than just a little...weird today. Sailor Moon would have expected her to ask Jedite question after question about Queen Beryl, but she was totally silent, and didn't even look at him when he told her of the plan.

"_And she says I don't notice stuff." _Sailor Moon thought to herself. Of course she thought about that: Those two were alike when they dumped on her. When she gossiped about it with Lita, she only scowled. Only Mina would indulge it, and the gossip never spread further than that.

"Hey, Mars." Sailor Moon started.

"Hm?" Mars acted like nothing was wrong. "You see something?" No, they were making steady progress, and Serena wanted to say something. But anything she said, Raye would take it out of context, get angry, and they'd have to spend the whole mission sour at each other.

"No, I don't see anything. Do you think everyone's going well?"

"Of course it is, stop being depressing." Mars returned to walking, keeping an eye out for anything.

Sailor Moon decided to drop it, there'd be time for that after they dealt with Queen Beryl.

"I sense something." Sailor Mars put her hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder and called out for the others to stop.

"Is it Jedite?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"I don't think so, it doesn't feel like him. It could be a youma, get ready." Sailor Mars drew into a battle stance.

"Remember, Jedite mentioned that these youma are created solely by Queen Beryl and are not human, we do not need the healing powers of the Silver Crystal to restore them." Sailor Mercury explained.

"Fire at will, I like the sound of that." Sailor Jupiter smiled, and Sailor Venus nodded. Sailor Mars pointed forward, in the direction she said the presence came from, but Sailor Moon could see nothing. Perhaps her powers were busted, or perhaps being so close to Beryl's base, it just sorta glommed together.

Until the snowstorm began to thin out a little bit, and Sailor Moon could see a man, suspended from vines wrapped around his wrists, wrapped rather tightly and the vines seemed to have thorns, so it could not have been comfortable to him.

A second later, she realized it was Tuxedo Mask. Did they leave him there after she turned the Crystal on them. Completely unforgivable.

"Sa...Sail..." A very weak man's voice sounded, and Sailor Moon could see Tuxedo Mask moving his lips. He couldn't get out her whole name, and now his voice was loud enough for her to hear it, but it was enough for her.

Darien was still whole, not serving under Beryl. That meant more than anything right now.


	161. One Down

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon was immediately worried to see him in such a state. What had happened to him? Did the whole brainwashing thing not work, and now they were torturing him.

She started to step forward and move towards him.

"Wait!" Sailor Jupiter firmly grabbed Sailor Moon's wrist. "Remember what Jedite said. Trust nothing."

"But it's Tuxedo Mask, we already know he's here!"

"Sailor Moon, we..." Sailor Jupiter started to speak, but then, the image of Tuxedo Mask shimmered slightly, and his shirt seemed to split open, and from it emerged long strands of tentacles, hurtling towards the Scouts at top speed.

Jupiter shoved Sailor Moon out of the way, and the attack ended up being futile.

"A youma!" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Venus wasted no time attacking the illusion. The attack passed through it harmlessly, and Sailor Moon watched in surprise as the figure of Tuxedo Mask faded, and became instead a green-skinned floating female creature with insect-like wings.

"Where did those come from?" Sailor Moon asked. She could hear Sailor Mercury furiously typing on her computer behind her.

"I thought Jedite was taking out the youma." Sailor Jupiter questioned. "He must have missed one."

The youma didn't seem to do anything at first, but she shimmered again for a second, and Sailor Moon watched as more insect-winged women appeared from behind the first. There were a total of five of them, and once they were all assembled, they looked ready to fight.

"So is that how it's gonna be?" Sailor Mars stood up. "Come on, Jupiter!" Both girls stood near the front and charged in a spread formation.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Moon knew how this went. Once Mercury gave them cover, they split and attacked from multiple angles, converging the attack at the enemy so they couldn't defend properly. Sailor Moon simply stood up. While she was instructed not to use the Silver Crystal's power unless she needed it, due to it causing her fatigue, she could still use her tiara.

"Mars Fire Ignite!"

"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" The attack seemed to work, although Sailor Moon could not make out the youma in the fog. As it faded though, one of the youma, one with purple skin, was on her knees from the blast. Her skin was scorched due to Mars's attack, and lightning crackled slightly around her from Jupiter's. The rest of the youma, however, were nowhere to be seen.

She was prone, now was her chance!

"Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon let her tiara fly, and it struck the paralyzed youma dead on, disintegrating her into moon dust!

"That's it!" Sailor Moon smiled. Just like that, with teamwork and determination, they'd succeed together. Maybe Jedite didn't get them all, or these were patrolling youma not in the base or something.

Still, it would have been better to get moving: Jedite could be overwhelmed soon, and the other youma were still out there.

"Defenseless!" She heard an unfamiliar voice call as Sailor Moon was waiting for her tiara to return to her.

"Huh?" Sailor Moon looked around to see if she could find the source, but saw nothing in front of, behind, or to the side of her.

* * *

"Sailor Moon!" Sailor Venus ran towards her leader. That first youma was gone, but another one immediately struck after Sailor Moon finished off the first one. This one had shorter hair and pink skin, and descended on her from above.

Aiming the Crescent Beam properly would take a second, and that second would mean it would have Sailor Moon. There was no other alternative but to knock Sailor Moon out of the way. Which Venus did, but she didn't move fast enough to get herself away, and the youma collided straight into her back, knocking her to the ground, and knocking the wind out of her.

Venus tried to get up, but her body wasn't responding, and the pink youma gripped her by the throat and held her in the sky.

"You'll be the first to die before our glorious Queen!" The pink-skinned youma gripped Venus's throat tightly, and Venus screamed as she could feel pain coarsing all throughout her body

"Venus!" There was a shout, but Venus didn't know who it belonged to.

"_I'm...I can't give up!" _Sailor Venus knew the other Scouts would have trouble attacking that youma from their position: They were too close. And cover from Mercury wouldn't work either.

Venus twitched her fingers: She felt them move. She could still move, she could still do something. Forcing herself to ignore the pain, Venus moved both of her arms towards the youma. Her left one gripped the youma's hair and yanked, tilting her head upward. Before the youma could react to it, Venus shoved her right hand into it's mouth.

"Venus...Crescent Beam...Smash!" It was hard to focus her power since the painful attacks were still coming, but she unleashed the attack straight through the youma's head. She's never used this attack at close range before, seeing as how it's energy exploded.

But Venus knew of no other options. And, as Venus's heavily scarred body was flung backward from the blast, she saw the pink youma had been completely annihilated. And she forced herself to smile, not that she could do much else at that point.

* * *

Prince Endymion was using a sword, so Jedite knew to either stay at range or get in close. His initial idea to stay at range was a bad idea seeing how quickly Endymion moved, so he materialized two small daggers in his hand and tried to keep the fight close.

Long swords were unwieldly in close combat., and for a second, it seemed Jedite had the upper hand: He managed to hit a few injuries on Endymion's arms and a few glancing strikes to his chest.

"_Knock him down, deal with Beryl. Sailor Moon can do the healing." _Jedite thought to himself as he turned to a sweep to knock the Prince prone. It connected, and Endymion fell, but as Jedite prepared to deliver a knockout blow, Endymion unleashed an energy blast from his free hand to hit Jedite straight in the stomach. It staggered Jedite and nearly dropped him, but he kept standing up. Endymion used the opportunity to get back off the ground.

"You are weak." Endymion taunted.

"I was once, when I was here." Jedite returned, and unleashed a wave of force from the ground to upset Endymion's balance. But he steeled himself, and shrugged it off.

And Endymion spoke no more, and returned to battle.


	162. The Storm Comes

"Venus! Venus!" Sailor Moon made it first to her friend's side. She didn't even have time to react before Venus had knocked her out of the way and took the blow for herself, and even less to watch Venus blow the youma up herself at point blank range.

Sailor Venus did not respond to Sailor Moon's call, and when she bent down to shake her awake, Venus did not move.

"No! No! This can't be!" Sailor Moon screamed. She couldn't...be dead, could she? They were Scouts, they fought together. That was the plan, and it was a good plan, a perfect plan. Amy and Jedite came up with it. It had to work!

"Venus." Sailor Mars's lip trembled, and Sailor Mercury's head was bowed slightly.

"Venus...would want us to keep moving." Sailor Jupiter said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah." Sailor Mars agreed. "She got rid of that one all by herself. Thank you, Venus. We won't waste this, I promise." Mars placed one of her ofuda on Venus's body, and she did not react.

Sailor Moon could barely comprehend it: Sailor Venus was gone. Dead. She gave her life to save them. Sailor Moon always said she'd do that for all of her friends, and for the world. So did the Scouts, but to actually see it happen. She didn't know what to say.

She wanted to freak out and scream, but she couldn't. She was their leader, as the rest of the Scouts, Luna, and Jedite had hammered into her head. And even if she did freak out, everyone would just get mad and they'd be distracted if the other three of those crazy bug-wing youma came back.

So Sailor Moon sniffed, but she turned around and walked away from Venus's body, back into position. Walking towards Beryl's base didn't feel the same without Venus there, but Sailor Moon could not think about that. It would be too much.

As the base loomed closer, the Scouts moved in silence. Until Mars spoke up and told them to wait.

"I can feel a presence. I think they're back."

"Cluster." Mercury ordered and the Scouts came close together to make sure they were not ambushed, keeping a close eye on the sky in case they decided to drop from above again.

At first, Sailor Moon couldn't see anything. No one from above, and no one in her line of view. The other Scouts, if they saw something, would have said something.

Sailor Jupiter did not drop her battle stance, but she took a few steps forward. As she did, Sailor Moon heard a cackle, and the sound of snow rumbling, like an avalanche.

But they were nowhere near any mountains. The only snow was...

"_Beneath!" _From beneath Sailor Jupiter, something green and vine-like shot without warning from the featureless white landscape and quickly grappled her, raising her into the sky.

"Jupiter!" Sailor Moon screamed. She could only grunt in response.

"We gotta help! Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars attempted to burn the vines far away from Jupiter. She would fall down, but after what those youma could do to Venus, that would be the least of her problems if Mars's plan was successful.

But the vines didn't burn, and, from the snow, the other three youma emerged, flying up in the sky away from the Sailor Scouts towards the airborne Jupiter.

"No!" Sailor Moon heard Jupiter scream, and immediately follow with her attack.

"_It'll be just like Venus!" _Sailor Moon tried to carefully aim her tiara before Jupiter could attack. If she could hit one, any one, maybe Jupiter wouldn't wait, and they could finish them this way. Their backs were turned, it's not like they could block it like Jedite could.

But either Jupiter didn't see her or something, because Sailor Moon watched as she saw Jupiter's lightning come down, and watched her attack the one in front of her, one with green skin.

It collided with her, but didn't explode.

"_That'll work." _Sailor Moon aimed her tiara towards the green one.

"Moon Tiara Action!" And she let it fly. Before it reached the youma, however, Sailor Moon watched as Sailor Jupiter was charging more lightning. More than usually did. And she kept charging, until the antenna at the top was glowing so bright, even Sailor Moon could see it from the ground.

"Jupiter...Thunder...Crash!" And the massive lightning bolt detonated. The other two youma, the orange-skinned and the light-blue one, were flung to the ground and quickly disappeared from sight. But the green one did not get flung away. Instead, she started to disintegrate, just as the vines holding Jupiter did. And Jupiter began to fall.

"Quick!" Sailor Mars tried to maneuver under her, and catch her. It looked easy in the movies, but rather than catch her, Jupiter landed on top of Mars.

"Sailor Jupiter!" Sailor Moon went over to her and grabbed her hand. Her grip wasn't very strong.

"I...I got her." Sailor Jupiter smiled a little, but her entire body was trembling. "Keep going, you three. You've got this...in the bag."

"You too, Jupiter, we can't do this without you."

"Sorry." Sailor Jupiter apologized. "Take care, Mercury. Mars, Jedite's waiting for you, And Sailor Moon...Sailor Moon, just smile. The world's going to need that smile of yours."

And Jupiter's twitching stopped, and Mars made her way out from underneath her. First Venus, and now Jupiter, there was only so much a leader could take.

Sailor Moon fell down to her knees.


	163. Cold as Ice

Jedite was knocked backwards by a swift hit from Prince Endymion, but it was a ram from the shoulder, not his sword. But Jedite was starting to tire, Endymion was no weakling. He may have been weakened due to Beryl mind-wiping him, but he was still strong regardless.

"You're tiring." And Endymion knew it, and lunged forward. Jedite dove low and pushed a wave of telekinetic force in a low arc, hoping to knock Endymion off his balance. All it managed to do, however was stagger him. Still, it gave Jedite time to get back on his feet and be balanced.

"You can't win, traitor." Endymion delivered.

"Traitor? Funny words coming from you." Jedite unleashed a few energy blasts, but Endymion parried them with his sword as if they were arrows.

"I am loyal to my Queen. You are nothing."

"She's not your Queen." Jedite couldn't help but laugh. "The only thing you are is a brainwashed puppet."

"You honestly think talking will work, Jedite?" Beryl, from her throne, taunted.

"And why does your Queen speak in such a way, Endymion?" Jedite ignored her.

"I do not question my Queen's words, and neither should you have. But all that's left for you is your death by my sword." In truth, Jedite didn't expect things to be that easy, he used the stalling more to catch his breath and focus his energy more than anything else. But it would have been nice to have worked.

"_Me, being hopeful. I'm supposed to be the sour, jaded one. Those girls are a bad influence on me." _He started to feel his second wind come, just as Endymion rushed forward, sword in hand.

Jedite stood his ground, and sent another wave of force. This one head on. Convincing Endymion, or Darien, would be a job for Sailor Moon, and her Crystal. Jedite knew he wasn't the hero of this story, but that didn't bother him: His role was important, and he would do the best he could.

* * *

Sailor Mercury let Sailor Moon stay on the ground for a minute. It was hard for her, too, to accept what had just happened. Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter gave their lives to defend Sailor Moon, wiping out powerful youma. And Jedite was nowhere to be seen: Mercury could not assume he was okay.

But, when Sailor Moon didn't budge, Mercury knew they had to keep moving.

"Sailor Moon, we need to move quickly." Sailor Mercury calmly delivered.

"Yeah." Sailor Mars agreed. "Jedite's counting on us. And we're almost there."

"They're gone. Gone because of me." Sailor Moon moped. Sailor Mercury was about to say something else, saying how this was a risky operation going in, and that Venus and Jupiter knew it better than anyone else.

But Sailor Mars came closer first, and slapped Sailor Moon across the face.

"I could say no, but that wouldn't make you feel better, would it?" While her words were quite comforting, Mars's tone was almost confrontational, and bitter. Very, very bitter. While vitriolic described their relationship well, Mars seemed a little more off than usual.

"I don't like it, what happened to Venus and Jupiter. Not one bit. But I can cry all I want and I can't bring them back. Scream and rant and rave, all of that, I won't get what I want. All I can do now, is go forward. You can be sad, we all are. But we can't stop going. If we lose, that's it. The same thing happens to everyone else." There were tears in Mars's eyes, and Mercury wondered why she was so empassioned. All the Scouts were friends, of course, but Raye was always more the hothead, the one to get angry. She would be raising Beryl's base to the ground normally.

And then, Amy remembered, when she was trying to sleep last night, she noticed Raye disappeared, and had gone in Jedite's room. She wasn't there long, but when she came out, she...she looked so sad, and hurt. She was upset when Darien broke up with her, but she was never as hurt as she was that night.

Mercury always thought there was something between Raye and Jedite, they always acted differently around each other. But Jedite didn't understand affairs of the heart much, even less than Amy did, and he was too practical, thought too much. He probably said something that may have been right, but wrong as well.

Whatever passion Mars was channeling now, though, seemed to be working, Sailor Moon stood up. But just as she was, Sailor Mercury noticed the ground beneath her feet was glowing. Glowing red hot, something snow should never too.

An ambush from beneath! Mars was okay, so Sailor Mercury dove on Sailor Moon to knock her away. Just as the two girls hit the dirt, a spray of snow and energy blasted from the ground, creating a large hole. And from it, emerged another of the youma: The orange one. The last one was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps another ambush.

Wordlessly, the orange-skinned woman stepped on the ground and took a step towards Sailor Moon. Sailor Mercury quickly stood up and got in the way. Again, it didn't speak, but it moved to attack, with it's vine-like hands and crackling energy, just as it did to Venus and Jupiter.

Sailor Mercury wasn't going to take any bets whether or not it would hurt less if one of the youma was doing it rather then a group. Her bubbles may not have been useful for offense, but there were other ways to fight without her powers.

Mercury dropped low, and rammed the youma, gripping her by the arms. The youma, though, only smiled, and began to release energy straight from her body into the air.

It didn't hurt as much as Mercury thought, perhaps because the conduit dispersed without a proper grip, but it was still painful, and Mercury struggled to keep focus. But her neck dropped down, and Mercury saw the hole, the one the monster came from.

She had to move quickly if she didn't want the monster to move on Sailor Moon, and with Mercury so close, Mars couldn't attack it. So, there was another way.

Using all her weight, Mercury pushed the youma, pushed her, knocked her off balance, and Mercury didn't let go: These monsters could teleport, as could be seen, but in all the times Mercury had seen teleportation, they always teleported the things attached to their bodies, they couldn't be selective.

Mercury pushed the youma, and herself, into the hole. The fall would take care of that youma. Mars would take care of the rest.


	164. Into the Inferno

It wasn't easy for Sailor Moon, but somehow, she found the strength to keep walking. Sailor Mercury, Amy, had gone the same way as Venus and Jupiter, and neither she nor that youma escaped from the hole that they fell into.

It was just her and Sailor Mars now, and Jedite, wherever he was. It wasn't supposed to be this way: They were supposed to fight and advance as a team, regroup with Jedite, knock Beryl out, and that was the end.

But, just as it had been said, she could cry as much as she liked. One time when she cried, the Silver Crystal appeared, but now, nothing would happen. She'd just cry like a little baby: She had to keep going. She had to win.

Sailor Mars was in the lead, walking towards the mountain, which was now very close. When they reached it, however, Sailor Mars held up her hand, for Sailor Moon to stop moving.

"What is it?" She got ready. There were five of those bug-wing youma, and now four of them were gone. That meant one was left. Couldn't she get scared off? Jedite said they felt fear, why couldn't she just get scared so there wouldn't be any risk.

"We're not alone." Sailor Mars dashed those hopes with three simple words.

"Where's she coming from?"

"She's hiding, she's nearby, she's waiting for a chance to strike. I'll lure her, head for the mountain." Sailor Mars delivered in a chillingly cold voice.

"No, we're doing this together."

"We don't have time for that. Every second we wait is another second Jedite's by himself. I can handle one youma by myself, and I'll catch up with you later. But Jedite...who knows what kind of trouble he's in. He's going to need backup more than I will. Get to him, and I'll catch up."

"We're a team, Sailor Mars, and he said it himself, he can take care..."

"He was lying." Sailor Mars's voice became a little angry. "I could tell. He never intended to disappear if the times got tough, he was going to stay there and draw their attention from us as long as possible. Crazy and stupid." And Sailor Moon thought she could see tears from the corner of Sailor Mars's eyes.

"You were right, Serena." Sailor Mars used Sailor Moon's human name. "All the teasing, the jabs. Jedite...he is important to me. You and Jedite matter more to me than anything else now. So please, get there, Sailor Moon. Get there and back him up.

And before Sailor Moon could protest, Sailor Mars ran forward. Sailor Moon called, and there was no answer. Just nothing but silence.

* * *

Sailor Mars could feel it, feel that youma. It moved silently, and it was focused on her. Good, that meant Sailor Moon could continue uninterrupted.

Where was this last youma? What would she plan. She'd seen what they did to the other Sailor Scouts. She had her ofuda, but she didn't want to rely on them, getting close was not a good idea, their powers were painful.

She thought she could see something in the distance, something moving. There wasn't much wind, perhaps it was the youma. She could certainly feel the dark presence and energy.

She took a few steps forward, and the image got clearer. A shock of blond hair, stately coat, matching pants, and high boots. But the figure wasn't moving much, he was actually suspended above the ground, hanging by what appeared to be vines.

It definitely looked like Jedite, and, if Mars could strain herself, she could hear slight protests coming from his direction, sounds of his voice grunting weakly in pain.

She started to rush forward again, but she stopped.

"Trust nothing." She had been told. There was no way that was Jedite. If he had the energy to protest, he would have fought, or teleported out. He was their teammate, and a fighter, and he would have done more then just lay and wait. Just like Mars would have.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" She attacked what was obviously an illusion, and the image faded, and she heard the sound of someone grunting. Not Jedite, a female voice. Must have been that youma.

Ready again to fight, Sailor Mars waited for the flames to die down so she could get a more accurate shot in. But when they did, Mars saw nothing. She didn't let up her guard, circled around and checked all angles. Above, beneath, to the side, those little buggers came from everywhere before.

Mars heard a loud shuffling to her side, and she jumped a bit backward, hoping to avoid a surprise attack.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars attacked the space where the attack came from, and for a second, didn't know what if she connected or not.

Until she felt something grab her, and from the fire emerged the pale blue-skinned bug youma. Her skin was covered in burns, so the attack connected, but she seemed unfazed as one of her arms turned into a vine like appendage and grabbed Mars by her left arm.

Immediately, Mars felt a wave of pain through her body that nearly dropped her to her knees. There may have been only one of the monsters now, but she was their leader, it seemed. At least, she seemed the strongest.

It took all of Mars's strength to stay standing, and she grabbed her ofuda. Would it even work like this? What else did she have to lose? She somehow managed to twist her body enough to attach it to the monster.

She heard it growl, and groan, but the attacks did not let up. So she was like her, Mars wondered. A youma like a human, determined to win, determined for victory. Mars could admire it, she did the same thing. She might have ridden Sailor Moon something fierce, but only because the girl dearly needed it.

But, admiration or not, Sailor Mars could not let her win. Could not let her get the chance to go back towards Sailor Moon.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Mars charged her fire again, at close range. It wasn't a good idea, but it's not like she could move away.

"Rarrr!" The youma growled and Mars could feel the heat as her flames washed over the youma. Her skin blistered even more, and her face began to melt, along with the rest of her.

Mars could feel the youma's grip weaken, and for a second, Mars stood straight up. And then, the wind blew, and Mars could feel pain as it passed her. Mars wasn't immune to her own flames, and they burned her as much as they burned the youma, who was now scattering in the wind as nothing more than ash.

"It's up to you, Sailor Moon. You, and him." Sailor Mars thought she spoke, but wasn't sure. And she fell down onto the snow. And just before the world slipped to darkness, Mars wondered what Jedite would think of the new world, without Beryl, without the Negaverse. He'd be finally free of that.

She loved him, she knew that. And she may not have been able to take away all that he'd suffered. But perhaps, with time, he'd be free of that. And giving him that time, perhaps that was all her love could do for him now. If so, then it was fine by her.


	165. Make it the Last Battle

Queen Beryl regarded the battle in front of her, and, perhaps in one of the first times, she was uncertain. Jedite appeared to be on the defensive, but Endymion never got in many solid strikes. Beryl knew Jedite was stalling, but for what? Did he truly think the Sailor Scouts were coming?

Beryl had sent out some of her best youma to make sure the perimeter were secured. Most of them were killed by Jedite's ambush, and the ones that weren't were either injured or too weak. These, were the exceptions, a failsafe Beryl had kept in her mind.

She ignored the battle for a moment when she started to feel something coming. An intense energy, powerful, inching ever closer to her domain.

It could only be the Silver Imperium Crystal, and that meant Sailor Moon. If the youma, the DD Girls, had gotten it, they would have merely teleported back to her: Beryl would have allowed it.

So the DD Girls were gone, then? Beryl couldn't sense them, but she could only sense the Silver Crystal because it was so powerful: Metallia's energy overrode most local sources. But they were not attacking her, the motion of the crystal was constant, and the youma knew to attack Sailor Moon, even to the exclusion of the others.

Was Sailor Moon alone, then? Perhaps the mission would still be salvageable then. If she wasn't, then Beryl would force it to be so. She mumbled something and gripped her staff. Preparing a spell, a teleportation spell, not unlike the one that had been taught to Zoicite. It would bring the energy of the Silver Crystal here. Sailor Moon would never let it go, so it would bring her here.

Beryl supposed it would be settled this way: She'd lost too much ground, and with Jedite's intelligence, it would have only been a matter of time before the crystal was brought here.

Although, perhaps that was not a bad thing, Queen Metallia having the crystal was enough to create the world in the way she wanted, and she still had Endymion. That would be enough. Whether Jedite and the Sailor Scouts were still alive or not was inconsequential at that point, Metallia could unmake them all.

Beryl completed her spell.

"Endymion!" She called. Her prince turned to face her. Jedite capitalized on this by launching an energy attack, but Beryl used her own power to shield him. Jedite said nothing as his attack dissipated.

"Come now, Jedite, we're about to have a very special guest. You can't be patient and wait for her."

"Queen Metallia will sit where she is until she is annihilated." Jedite was out of breath, but he didn't look to be deterred.

"Your mouth shall be silenced!" Endymion too, looked winded.

"Patience, Endymion. I'm not speaking of that guest. I'm talking about your failure of a leader, Jedite. Sailor Moon has arrived." And when Beryl told him that, Jedite began to laugh.

"You've gone completely insane. She's here, you're done. By all means, bring her here!" Jedite laughed. Let him, Beryl had her own plans. Seeing Prince Endymion, her Tuxedo Mask, under Queen Beryl's will would weaken her, distract her. The will to fight was just as important as any weapon, and Sailor Moon always lost it around Tuxedo Mask. And, if that didn't work, she was a sorceress of no small power. She could deal with Sailor Moon before she could unleash the crystal's full power, the full power Sailor Moon didn't know how to use.

But all this waiting, when the crystal was so close: Beryl needed it done. She could only teleport others at close range. And bringing her here, alone, would be enough.

* * *

Sailor Mars wasn't coming, Sailor Moon kept walking. Forward was the only way she could walk, the only way she could do anything other then cry. It wasn't easy, but no other youma or anything came to find her.

She had made it to the mountain, and wasn't sure exactly what to do next when she felt something. For a second, she felt really dizzy, and about to faint, just as she did that time she and Darien were caught in that spell Zoicite made with the ambush, just before the Silver Crystal came to be.

After a few seconds, she felt the dizziness and the felling subside, and she was standing on her feet no longer in the snow. She was standing on cold, hard stone, in a barely lit cavern.

Was this a teleportation spell? Who did it? Jedite couldn't teleport other people, only himself.

"Welcome, Sailor Moon." A voice from darkness, stern and female, one Sailor Moon had heard before, called to her. She turned to face it, and Sailor Moon came face to face with Queen Beryl. She'd only ever been seen once before, that time she attempted to sway Jedite's allegiance during the trap they set. But Sailor Moon remembered it well. She was the reason the Sailor Scouts were gone now, and behind all of the pain and suffering the Negaverse caused.

"Queen Beryl." Sailor Moon was afraid, but she summoned her bravest voice to condemn her.

"It has been far too long for both of us." Queen Beryl's voice was calm, and she kept her eyes focused on her.

"I'm sure you remember Endymion, as well?" The light near Beryl intensified, and Sailor Moon saw, kneeling and kissing the hand of the tall, statuesque queen, was Darien. Dressed in armor and carrying a sword, but his face was all Darien.

"Give him back!" Sailor Moon ordered.

"Certainly. Prince Endymion, go to Sailor Moon. And kill her!" Sailor Moon could start to hear the rage in Queen Beryl's normally quiet voice. And, Prince Endymion stood up, and wordlessly stood to his full height. He then leapt into the air, drawing his sword and quickly bringing it to bear.

"_He's gonna..." _Sailor Moon started to move out of the way, but a large energy blast struck Darien and knocked him to the ground and on his back.

"No way, Beryl!" Sailor Moon glanced behind her to see Jedite was there. So he was still alive, that was the first bit of good news in a while. He looked exhausted, but very angry.

"Jedite!" She called, and moved over to him.

"You're going to lose, Beryl. Between me, her, and the Silver Crystal, you're done. And once the rest of the Sailor Scouts get here, it's just a matter of who gets to do the final blow."

"Sailor Moon was alone when I picked her up. You know as well as I do, Jedite, that I cannot separate them if they were together with a teleportation spell. Why is that?"

"Cheap bluffs were Malachite's tactics. Do you honestly think I'll fall for something like that now?" Jedite scowled. He spoke with such a fervent belief that Sailor Moon, even for a second, believed him. Or perhaps, she just wanted to believe him.

"So what is that pale across your new leader's face?" Beryl posed. And Jedite turned his head to see her. Sailor Moon wasn't very good at hiding her emotions, she never stated anything to the contrary.

"Sailor Moon?" Jedite's voice showed fear, perhaps for the first time ever. Sailor Moon tried to glance at his face, but his wide eyebrows and utter shock turned her gaze away, and she could feel it that he knew now. That the rest of the Scouts would not be joining them in this battle.

"I'm sorry." She said to him.

"We...we have a job to do. It won't make me feel better, but I do feel like hurting someone! I'll deal with Beryl. You take Endymion. You know what to do."


	166. How do you Fight?

In most of his battles before, Jedite knew what to expect. The Sailor Scouts did not deviate much from their plans when he fought them, and, when he switched sides, neither did the Shitennou. When forced into direct conflict, Nephrite's method of fighting was precision attacks in which emotion set him off. Zoicite preferred ambushes and was weak in direct conflict. Malachite preferred overwhelming force. It never changed much.

This, however, was going to be different. Jedite had never once before seen Queen Beryl engage in battle. Her knowledge of sorcery was unparalleled, eclipsing anything Jedite or anyone else knew by far. But sorcery had it's weaknesses in combat. He supposed he'd have to start with that.

What Jedite did know, however, was that he was entering into this battle with a severe handicap. But this was not a fight not for Beryl's life, but for her time. Once Sailor Moon had dealt with Darien, she could move to Beryl. And, if the Silver Crystal restored Darien to his rightful self, as it did the last time, then it would be a three-on-one fight: She couldn't beat that.

"You disappoint me, Jedite. Perpetually." Beryl said as he stood before her. Her right hand held her staff, and her left hand was empty: She was not holding it as a martial weapon. Should he expect distance and energy attacks? Probably.

"I'm sorry, is that supposed to mean something to me?" Jedite cocked a smirk.

"Whether or not it does is irrelevant. You came here to die, and I suppose I could oblige your wish."

"You cling to victory, even now?" Jedite mocked. "It's been one great failure for you after another."

"I have seen where the failures lie, Jedite, and I learned from them. Malachite's singular focus, Zoicite's pathetic jealousy, Nephrite's uncontrolled passion and your ridiculous pride. I have seen what they wrought and changed around them. Unlike you, Jedite. You seemed to think your failures came from serving under me."

Jedite knew that was a laugh: He had let go of pride that night, months ago, when he first saw himself in the mirror, and saw he was nothing. It wasn't easy, and pride still crept into his life. But he knew what his role was: The Silver Crystal would be the instrument to save the world, and it was not his to wield. He was only to assist, use his talents to aid Sailor Moon.

But he could not explain that to Beryl. For all her talk, she had not let go of her own vices. But keeping her talking, that would stall her.

"Failures from before, and successes afterwards. I've learned and gained more than you think."

"The only thing you've gained now is your death by my hand. If that was all you wanted, you could have returned after your first failure. Forever Sleep is painless. Bend on one knee and I shall make it quick."

"If I'm going to die, I'm going to do it fighting. Even if you kill me, Beryl, you'll not outlive this day. That I swear!"

"Such conviction!" Beryl laughed. "If only you knew how to wield it in my service, the world would have been Queen Metallia's by now."

"My convictions have not changed, merely my priorities."

"And your priorities and convictions conflict with mine. There is only one answer for this." And Beryl let loose from her orb a powerful dark blast of energy. Jedite attempted to deflect it, but was completely unprepared for the sheer amount of force behind the blast. While he did manage to prevent it from hitting him, the entire process of it was not only tiring, but it knocked him nearly twenty feet backwards, almost to the wall.

"Hmmm, stronger, yes. But you have not let learned to endure." Beryl launched another strike. Jedite wouldn't sit around and let him get hit with that one. He teleported behind Beryl, and immediately launched an energy blast of his own square into her back.

The attack connected, but Beryl did little more then flinch.

"You must do better than that." Beryl turned, and from her free hand launched a wave of energy as she did so. It moved much too fast for Jedite, and it slammed into him, knocking him backward and onto the ground. He stood up quickly.

"_Try something else. Jedite." _He thought before he decided on telekinetic charges. Worked like a charm against Zoicite. How would they fare here?

* * *

"Darien, no!" Sailor Moon called out as Darien, or the mind-controlled man who looked like him, tried to slice her in two with his sword. It was beyond scary, that sharp weapon so close to her, but she had to be strong, and save him. He was counting on her, even if he didn't know it.

Jedite was dealing with Beryl, she would deal with this. She dodged the sword swipe as Darien attempted to leap on her from above.

"Moon Healing Escalation." She used the Silver Crystal on him once she had a free second to aim it. Waves of light emitted and fell upon Darien, as they had done before, to him and other youma who were once human.

But rather then glow brightly and return to their old selves, Darien simply paused, and looked at the light nonplussed.

"What's going on, why isn't it working?" Sailor Moon got nervous. How could he be stronger than the Silver Crystal. Did that mean Queen Beryl knew a way to beat it?

Darien charged towards her again, he moved in to ram her first, and collided with his shoulder, dazing and knocking Sailor Moon off her balance. He then quickly turned to the sword, and Sailor Moon dropped to the floor in order to avoid it.

"Moon Tiara Action!" She didn't like the idea of hitting him with it, but maybe she needed to wear him down first, like that time when Amy's boyfriend was turned by Zoicite.

It hit him right in the stomach, and his eyes bugged out. He staggered, and Sailor Moon backed up and got to her feet.

And, in a second, that stagger was gone. He growled at her, and came at her again, sword in hand.

"_Now what?" _


	167. Destruction

Jedite executed a feint before charging, and Beryl fell for it. The sheer force of telekinesis Jedite could produce would never match Beryl's, but amount of force was never as important as where it connected, and when it connected: Beryl wasn't prepared for it, and while Zoicite may have been flung like a rag doll, Beryl was merely staggered. Still, that stagger was enough to blast her point blank in the face without interruption.

Beryl shook it off, and while she bore the injuries of those attacks, she was not ready to turn in the towel.

Jedite expected Beryl to talk more, berate him: She'd tried that before a number of times, tried to set him off his game. But she didn't this time, she merely glared at him, her mouth contorted into a snarl. She gripped her staff tightly, then passed it in a wave-like motion. Jedite jumped backwards defensively. Nothing happened for a second, but then Jedite felt the ground rumble beneath his feet, and he couldn't react in time enough to feel a wave of energy cut through the floor and blast him skyward. He tried to right himself while in the air, but Beryl attacked again with her staff, and using telekinesis, she yanked Jedite to the ground, slamming him into the ground.

Trying to ignore the pain, Jedite tried to stand back up. This battle hadn't gone on for very long, and he was already quite winded. He squinted, trying to blot out everything else except Beryl. Sailor Moon may not have been more than twenty feet from him, but he couldn't bother with that now.

He had to move quickly, and not stay in one place for long: Beryl could attack from any angle, something Jedite couldn't do.

So he moved, levitated and charged forward straight at her: He didn't even have to worry about friction or anything at this point, in the air he could charge like a missile.

He collided with Beryl, and this caused her to fly backward, slamming her into the wall. Jedite stopped for a moment, he was dizzy enough as it was, and that attack, while it was helpful for hurting Beryl, didn't help his vision clear.

He saw Beryl float elegantly back to a standing position.

"You can barely stand." Jedite thought he heard her say.

"I'm more...than enough to beat you."

"I grow tired of your insolence." Beryl planted her staff in the ground. Jedite prepared to charge forward, expecting another attack, but instead, he felt something yank on him.

"Come to me!" Beryl's voice ordered, and with the full force of her sorcery, dragged Jedite towards her. He was already in the air, and injured, so, despite his resistance, he felt himself dragged towards her, stopping and falling to the ground just at her feet.

"On your knees already." Beryl stated firmly. Jedite spit at her. While expecting a fierce retaliatory strike, instead, Beryl laughed.

"All your schemes and plans are nothing at my feet, Jedite. All this time wasted in foolish resistance. Victory is mine." Her tone was very soft, and Jedite almost couldn't hear her for a second.

Then, Beryl used her telekinesis again and raised him into the air, hovering in front of her, just off the ground.

"I had thought to use Forever Sleep on you, the irony would have been mine to treasure. But now, after all of this Forever Sleep would be a mercy to you, and I have no more room for mercy." And Beryl's orb at the top of her staff began to glow again, and Jedite's body was ravaged with an unbelievable pain.

"Victory is mine." He heard Beryl say between the blasts of energy. For a second, Jedite couldn't feel anything, just an incredible pain shooting through his body. And Beryl's laugh, that's all he could hear. His eyes sank back into his head. He wanted to move, fight, do something. But his body wouldn't respond, nothing was happening.

His vision cleared for a second, and he could see Beryl, her face exultant with triumph as she continued her assault.

It couldn't be. No, Jedite could not allow it.

"_Move." _He ordered himself, and he felt a twitch. In his hand. His right hand could move. He could feel his whole arm for a second. Then his left one. If he could only focus the energy...

Then he felt something solid in his hand. Energy coalesced to form a knife. Just like he used against Endymion. Another form in the other hand.

"_Move." _He commanded himself again. There wasn't much strength in his arms, but he could move. The pain was no longer there, just a buzzing around Jedite he could not feel.

He plunged both knives straight into Beryl's upper chest.

"Hrrrkk." She seemed surprised to see it happen. Was she so intent on seeing Jedite suffer she didn't see him fight back? Maybe, she was full of herself.

"Not...if I take...it from you." Jedite snarled. There wasn't enough strength in his arms for either of those wounds to be fatal, the knives were too light, the wounds too shallow. And Beryl could heal herself with her sorcery given time.

So Jedite gripped the knives with a death grip, and concentrated every bit of energy he could into his hands, channeling them into the knives. Beryl dropped him with her telekinesis, and his legs thudded to the ground, unable to support his weight. He didn't let go.

"_Scouts: Amy, Mina, Lita. Raye." _He called the names of the Scouts in his mind. Raye's name echoed in his mind a moment longer than the rest.

"_Nephrite. Anyone. Give. Me. Strength!" _And Jedite detonated all of the energy he collected, in a point blank explosion that was everything he had left.


	168. Dirty Free For All

Sailor Moon had dodged another sword strike from Darien when she heard the explosion. What was that? Jedite and Queen Beryl?

"_Oh no!" _She thought. She couldn't lose him too. She'd already lost too much to lose anymore friends.

"Majesty!" Darien called out, turning his back to Sailor Moon. Could she strike now, knock him down, use the Silver Crystal? It didn't work before, but he was tired. And distracted. Would it work better on someone distracted?

"Moon Healing Escalation!" No other way but to try. The waves of healing energy emerged from her wand, and they fell upon Darien, but he turned when they reached him, and his face showed no change.

He snarled at her and dashed forward, sword outstretched again. Why wasn't it working. The crystal was supposed to work. According to Luna, and that thing Beryl had told Jedite, it gave one the power to make their wish come true. And that was a wish she had ever since Darien was taken.

Sailor Moon dodged the strike, but Darien's momentum still knocked her to the ground.

Before she could get back to her feet, Darien quickly threw one of his black roses at her. The pain when it struck her was incredible, but it didn't strike her hand with the crystal, so she was able to keep her grip on it.

It wasn't working, she had to try something else. Her tiara didn't work for more than a few seconds either. All of the Scouts were gone, and she couldn't count on Jedite after that explosion.

Sailor Moon tried to ignore the pain and stand, but she could only get to a kneeling position. As she did, she felt something she was carrying shift around.

It was the locket, the star-shaped locket Tuxedo Mask had dropped so long ago, when fighting Zoicite for the Silver Crystal. He never tried to reclaim it. It didn't mean anything to Sailor Moon at first until the Silver Crystal came back to her, and awakened her memories as Princess Serenity's. It was her locket, ages ago, given to Prince Endymion of the Earth Kingdom as a token of her favor. A memento.

Memento. Memories. There it was again. It all came down to memories. Darien didn't have his, they were sealed by Beryl, sealed so that even the crystal couldn't unlock them. And Jedite too, said he had no luck at the hot spring. But this locket was a symbol of love, and it was very important to him at one point.

What other options were there.

"Stop, please!" She pleaded, opening the locket, so he could hear the tune. At first, Darien merely brought up his sword to swing down and finish her, but once the song started, he twitched; his head cocked to one side as if more curious then furious.

"It's yours." Sailor Moon continued. "Don't you hear it, this was ours, at one point. I gave it to you ages ago, and you held onto it this whole time. Please remember. You're the Prince of the Earth Kingdom, who loved the Princess of the Moon."

Darien shook, and, if Jedite were around, that would be the time he threw out an attack. Tactics was what he'd say. But Sailor Moon was not him. She slowly started to rise from the ground, still holding the locket, which played it sweet tinny tune.

He looked at it completely mystifyed. It was working! Was Beryl only prepared for the Silver Crystal and didn't expect a resurgence of Darien's own memories, or was this because it meant so much to Prince Endymion? Or was it just love.

"Take it. It's yours." She held out the locket, offering it eagerly. With his free hand, Darien slowly moved towards the locket. The arm with the sword hung limply at his side.

And then he touched it, placed his hand overtop. Sailor Moon could feel a tingle as soon as he did so. What it meant could be anything, though it was working so far. It should work now.

* * *

"_Curses!" _It took some time, but Beryl managed to pick herself up. She had Jedite exactly where she wanted him and he threw it all on a last ditch effort to kill her.

His attack hurt: Hurt more than she'd ever been hurt her whole life. But Beryl could still walk, move. She still had energy to use her sorcery. In the opposite direction, where Jedite would have flown was just a pile of rubble. So either he was buried under there, or already dead and his body dissolved. Beryl cared not for ceremony anymore, and cursed Jedite's grave.

She turned towards where Sailor Moon was. Endymion should be finished with her by now: Jedite may have made him breathe heavily, but that was it. Beryl had warded Endymion against the healing energies of the crystal, and Sailor Moon cared for the human form of Endymion, she wouldn't use it's destructive powers on him. That weakness would be her undoing.

Beryl's vision was still blurry, but it cleared up and she could see Endymion's back. He was standing up, his sword at his side, had he finished already? What was he waiting for then.

And then, Endymion turned around. Beryl must have looked a fright, but she'd endured and defeated her former subordinate who managed to pull every dirty trick in the book. Circumstances were what they were.

But as Endymion turned around, Beryl could see past him. Standing past him was that wretched Sailor Moon. Still alive, still well, and the Silver Crystal was still in her hands.

"What is going on here?" Beryl demanded.

"I am fighting for my love." Endymion told her.

"So fight, then." Beryl returned. And Endymion turned away from Sailor Moon, placing his back to her. One never showed their back to an enemy. Not like this. It could only mean one thing.

"Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity, now and always by your side." And that sword by Endymion's side, which was to drink the blood of the Moon Princess, was leveled in Beryl's direction.

Beryl screamed. Now, and then, just like before, he chose the weak idiot over her.

In a rage, Beryl prepared to destroy them both where they stood.


	169. Last Ditch, Last Call

So much was happening, Darien almost didn't have time to react at first. The locket was in Sailor Moon's hands, playing it's tune. Once he heard it, he had felt...weird. He didn't remember it at all, but the sounds rang in his mind, as if he should had known of it. And when he touched it, he started remembering...things. Things that made his head hurt like no other, but they banished the thoughts of "Prince Endmyion", loyal to Queen Beryl, quickly.

He was Darien Shields, and Tuxedo Mask. Ally to the Earth, and it's defender. Not Beryl. Once this thought came in his mind, however, he soon felt a powerful shockwave of dark power smash into his back. Beryl, his former mistress, whom he thought was the world, was still around, and didn't take too kindly to this. Whether she'd try to kill him, or brainwash him again was uncertain, but Darien knew he wasn't going down without a fight.

Summoning up all the magic power he could, and shielding Sailor Moon with the rest of his body, he tried to deflect the spell. It wasn't something he was used to doing, though, and it wasn't perfect. He tried to shield Sailor Moon as best he could, grunted, and tried to focus.

Beryl wasn't letting up, screaming with a fury as she continued to overwhelm him. Hell hath no fury couldn't even begin to describe her. Darien supposed he could understand: All of her plans had completely fallen apart, and now she was left with no allies, no plan, and this was a last-ditch effort to get what she wanted. While he may have understood, he certainly wouldn't let her have her way.

"_If I could just..." _The rose, Tuxedo Mask's signature weapon, had served him well: It pierced barriers, caused weakness, it was the perfect way to finish her, but he needed to drop his defenses to focus on it, and that would mean bearing the full force of her assault. And she was brutal: Darien still remembered what being Endymion was, and he knew that Beryl's strength matched her determination, and determined she certainly was.

And then, the attack stopped. Beryl stiffened in place and her hands fell backward and pointed towards the ground. Away from Darien, no longer attacking. Not wanting to chance anything, Darien threw his rose straight for Beryl's heart.

"Agh!" She screamed again at it pierced her. Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. No words came out, just blood. That was it! She was finished.

"You...you haven't seen the last of me!" Beryl faded away in a teleportation and sunk into the ground. Once she had disappeared, Darien could see behind where she was, and saw where the blast had come from. In a seated position, with one arm raised, was Jedite, breathing heavily, and looking just as surprised as Beryl was when the rose struck her.

"She's...getting away." Jedite's voice was not strong, and he was right. Beryl wouldn't have escaped just so she could die alone: That was not her style. She must have had some plan, something that would give her the power she needed to claim her victory. That could only come from Queen Metallia.

"I'll stop her!" He had to hurry: Queen Metallia was a mystery: Beryl never shared much about her, and while Darien had interaction with her as Endymion, it was limited to advice. Sound advice, but that was it. He never gained any power from her.

"_I'm sorry, Sailor Moon. Thank you, for everything. Even that word is not strong enough. I'll make sure her ambitions will never hurt you again." _Darien thought much, but said nothing, he took off to Queen Metallia. There was still so much left that needed to be done.

* * *

"Jedite!" Sailor Moon hurried over to where he was slouched on the ground. Even from this distance, she could see he was covered in burns, blood, and other wounds. His skin, where it wasn't wounded, was extremely pale.

He grunted, and was clearly in a great deal of pain. But he still managed to look at Sailor Moon.

"Heh, look at that." He actually laughed, although it was more of a mix between a laugh and a cough. "Last ditch suicidal attacks. You're a bad influence on me."

"Hold on. I'll get you out of here."

"Doubt that'll work." Jedite grunted again. "I can't even stand up."

"I'll drag you out." Sailor Moon stated determinedly.

"Only...if you're willing to leave chunks of me in a trail."

"I'm...I'm sorry, Jedite. Let me, let me try the crystal."

"Don't." Jedite stated firmly. "We can't afford...to potentially weaken you or the crystal at this point. Beryl...She's gone to Queen Metallia. Gonna try to get as much power as possible. She's...gotta...be stopped. Don't think...I'll be able to help."

"Jedite..." Someone else was dying, right in front of her. All of the Scouts, and now Jedite too. In some last ditch attack to save her. The Scouts always said they were a team, and they'd give anything for each other, but to say something, and then to watch it actually happen, even if the statement was believed, were two different things.

"You'll be...fine. You got this far. You foil the best plans, and the worst ones too. Use the drive, Sailor Moon, you'll...you'll need it. Look what it did to me. Beryl's driven too, you'll need to be more driven than her. That's all...you can...do...this." And with that last smile, Jedite's eyes lost focus. His head slumped down. And slowly, he began to dissolve and fade away. Just like Nephrite, just like Malachite. Presumably like Zoicite too. The last of the Shitennou were gone. And Sailor Moon found herself sad, for all of them. Jedite had proven himself, Nephrite didn't get away in time, even Zoicite and Malachite, who were tragic, in their own way, if not sympathetic.

But the sadness only lasted for a moment. Sailor Moon stood up. She couldn't be depressed now. The living and the dead were both counting on her.


	170. Metallia's Motions

Beryl tried her hardest to compose herself before her glorious Queen Metallia, but between the twin injuries of an energy strike to her back, which could only have come from a very-much-alive Jedite, and the former Prince Endymion's rose to her chest, and with her entire plans crumbling around her, composure was a complete impossible.

"So..." Queen Metallia's voice was always slow and raspy. "You've displayed as much skill as your subordinates."

"Queen Metallia, I beseech you, I can defeat Sailor Moon if I only had the power."

"Perhaps you should join her. That was the only time your subordinates seemed to succeed. " For the first time, Beryl could swear Queen Metallia was being sarcastic. Was everyone leaving her now? Jedite defected, Nephrite was about to, Zoicite overrode Beryl's commands and Malachite planned on ending everything.

"My Queen!"

"Beryl!" A loud male voice from behind her shouted, and Beryl turned from Metallia to see Darien, having shed his guise of Prince Endymion and was now dressed as Tuxedo Mask, stood in the entryway to Metallia's chamber. His eyes were covered by his mask, but his eyebrows and face were twisted into a face of unmistakable rage.

"You dare to challenge me here." Beryl stood up. If she had to prove herself in front of her Queen, then that was what she would do. Brainwashing him again wouldn't work: It would take too long, and he belonged to Sailor Moon, no matter what Beryl would try. If she couldn't have Tuxedo Mask for her own, then he would die, no one else could have him.

She snarled, stood up, gripped her staff, and prepared for battle.

* * *

To a bodliess entity like Queen Metallia, time meant very little. She remembered being unleashed on the Moon Kingdom, and then, that cursed light. Queen Serenity unleashed the full power of the Silver Crystal, one of the few things in the universe that could deal with a creature like her, and it sealed her away.

Since then, Metallia had...struggled. Like a beast against a cage: She would not stay silently in her prison, no matter how timeless a creature she was. She desired the universe, she deserved it.

She wasn't sure when the first crack in the seal started, but she certainly took advantage of it. Perhaps Serenity didn't understand the true power of the crystal, or, being as how she was a fleshling creature with a frail body, perhaps she could wield much of the power, but not the whole thing. Metallia knew. Ever more the reason it should belong to her, the Silver Crystal was no symbol of state, it was the right hand of it's ruler.

While she may have been the crystal's only true wielder, acquiring that crystal required...other means. Fleshling creatures themselves could act in ways Metallia could not. Thus, Beryl. Sorceress and seer, and possessed of great jealousy towards the young prince of Earth, who loved the Princess of the Moon, heir to the Silver Crystal.

Fleshling creatures and their attachments, Metallia could not comprehend it. But it had it's use, and Beryl had proven herself loyal. And when Metallia was free from the prison, recalling Beryl from the knell of oblivion was a suitable task: She didn't have the ability to find a new minion, trapped as she was.

And now, failure after failure abounded, and even Queen Metallia found her patience tested. Princess Serenity had claimed the Silver Crystal and Beryl was losing forces rapidly. Now she supplicated herself, badly injured and still claiming victory.

Metallia had to admit that she didn't think Beryl would react in any other fashion. Determination and insanity were almost impossible to divorce, and it was that determined will that allowed Metallia to choose Beryl in the first place.

Metallia could not do much other than watch, which she did when she noticed the former Prince Endymion, the man Beryl persistently brainwashed, stormed into the chamber, looking ready to fight Beryl. If he was the rebirth of the Prince of the past, then it seemed fate had a grand sense of irony. If only Metallia could savor it.

And the two struggled: Beryl wasn't giving up, but she was already badly wounded. There was only so much determination and will could do with a badly broken body.

Perhaps Beryl did possess the will, yet not the strength. However, Metallia could not afford to take more chances at this point. Princess Serenity still had the crystal, and even if Beryl could be granted victory in this fight against Endymion, the Princess was a more dangerous opponent by far: The Crystal could be wielded by her. An injured Beryl would not fare well against her. And if Beryl was gone, what then? Metallia had no more allies to call upon, she'd be starting over from a blank slate.

No. No, she couldn't have that. She hadn't the resources to do that and the Princess knew where she was. Time may not matter to a creature without a body, but Metallia knew her hunger for the world.

She witnessed the battle between Beryl and Tuxedo Mask, and saw Beryl's lunge forward in a surprise attack with her staff, while Tuxedo Mask came in close with his cane. One of them could be killed, and Metallia was done with waiting.

She summoned up her energy and shattered the prison that bound her: Something she could have done at any time, but being free like this would cause her energy to dissipate and become formless. Truly death to a creature like her. But Metallia had no more options to gain that crystal, not if she didn't try something drastic.

She coalesced her energy around those two. If one of them was killed, their body would hold her vast energy and she'd use it to claim the crystal herself. If they weren't, Beryl would accept the power and the two would fuse together to be one being, a fusion of will and strength. It wasn't a permanent solution: A mortal body could not hold Metallia's energy any easier than the power of the Silver Crystal.

A permanent solution was not necessary at this point, it just needed to get the Crystal.

And when Metallia enveloped them both, she thought she had a scream. Man or woman, she couldn't tell. But it was a fearful scream. Good. The first of many.


	171. My Will Is Final

Beryl...wasn't exactly sure what happened next. At one point, she recalled herself fighting with Tuxedo Mask, the former Prince Endymion. No matter what she tried, he never wanted to be hers. So she decided to end him. He had lunged forward with his cane, so Beryl had attempted a physical strike with her staff, something he'd never expect from a sorceress like her.

Just before the strike though, she felt...something. The sound of something shattering, and then a dark presence. Metallia's presence, but never this strong, or this close. Her vision faded, and all she saw was a complete and total blackness.

What was going on? She could feel...strange.

"Beryl..." She could hear Metallia's voice again, but not out loud, in her head, almost like a whisper. "_I shall grant you power. But you have shown me you can't use it, so I will. Your power will become mine and all shall fall before me_."

And Beryl paused, for the first time in a long time. She knew what all the energy her subordinates had been gathering was for: To awaken Queen Metallia, grant her form to let her break and leave her prison.

Beryl had focused on the Silver Crystal for a long time: Metallia had enough energy to break free?

As soon as Beryl realized this, she fell to her knees in an immense pain filled every corner of her body. She knew how Queen Metallia's energy felt, but now she was feeling it inside her. She was possessing her, taking over her body, using it as her host.

What would become of Beryl's mind, then? Would she be like the human memories she dispossessed Endymion of? Hidden, lost, alone?

What would be so different from now? She'd lost everything already. Her last ally had turned and was trying to finish her.

"_How could things have come to this?" _Beryl could still remembered when Metallia recalled her back into the world, and she was building her mission. Such reckless passions then, all of the Shitennou were guilty of it, but there was promise, promise in all of them, and in Beryl too. She worked with Jedite on many assignments, plans and ideas, ones that were thought of, edited, or dismissed.

And now, all that promise had turned to nothing. Beryl could feel her thoughts getting more muddled, changing, becoming more primal.  
"_So...this is how I end..." _What was left for her now? At least Metallia could defeat Sailor Moon and gain the crystal. But Metallia would not recall Beryl again, else she wouldn't have pulled a gambit like this. It was the end.

That wasn't enough, it really wasn't. Beryl wanted to see the world she wanted to create, and who could blame her? She was a visionary, and while it was Metallia who granted her the power, it was her drive and vision that brought Metallia to her. Metallia herself admitted this, there was no harm in it.

And now it was ending, Beryl could feel very, very cold. Was it doomed from the start? Her mission destined to fail? Or did she miss something along the way? A decision poorly made, a realization not seen? Should Jedite never have been in command?

How could he have changed so much in that time? He became a relentless scourge, destroying everything Beryl set her sights on. How could he not have such will when he served under her? Willpower and loyalty did not conflict with each other.

His willpower defied everything Beryl could have expected from him. From nothing to nightmare, and even he wasn't the strongest member on their side. And it all came down to one thing, Jedite's will, determination. He kept fighting even when he should have died a dozen times over.

And in that, Beryl knew there was something to learn. It was only when you had nothing that you realized what it is you could make. Beryl had nothing now, no allies, and soon no thoughts. But she wanted her world as much as Jedite wanted whatever it was he wanted: Sailor Moon's idea, or his. It didn't matter, Jedite possessed the will to fight and overcame insurmountable odds. One man, one weak man, doing the impossible.

So too could Beryl. She focused on what she wanted: The world. A world shaped according to her desires, no one else's. Not even Metallia.

And with that, Beryl could feel her thoughts again. Her own thoughts. She was Beryl, the one true Queen. Her vision began to clear. And she knew she standing in Metallia's chamber, Tuxedo Mask was on the ground, alive and grunting. Did Metallia attack him too? Perhaps, they were standing very close together. The orb where Queen Metallia was housed was shattered, and Beryl could no longer feel her energy very strongly in the caves.

"_You are resisting, Beryl. Do you deny your Queen? Your body is mine to wield!" _She heard Metallia's voice in her head again. But the world didn't fade, the cold did not return.

"Be. Silent." She ordered her Queen, driving the voice away with nothing more than her own thoughts. This power was incredible, Queen Metallia was truly powerful. Beryl already knew that, but it was a reaffirmation in ways she never thought possible. But as powerful as she was, Metallia was but a force. Like the Silver Crystal, which was also said to possess a will of it's own, and only allowed the worthy to wield it.

It understood nothing of imperative, of desire. Carnal though they were, there was power in them. And that was where Metallia underestimated her. That was where she would fail. Beryl stiffened her posture as Tuxedo Mask started getting to his feet.

Beryl outstretched her hand, and felt the power of Metallia surge, but without the voice. Beryl's entire arm wreathed itself in a flame that did not burn her skin. A power that was hers to control.

All hers.


	172. True Power

When Sailor Moon felt the ground rumble beneath her feet, she knew she needed to get out quickly. Tuxedo Mask had ran off after Beryl, but she had no idea where they were now. All she could do now was leave this place.

She wasn't done. Queen Metallia, that energy-creature Jedite had informed her about, was still out there. Sailor Moon wasn't sure what to do with it now. If Beryl was gone, could their plan of starving Queen Metallia still work? If this place was collapsing, would that work too?

As the walls started to fall, Sailor Moon thought she could make out the glow of daylight. She wasn't that deep underground, at least this part of Beryl's base was. She moved towards it, keeping one eye on the ceiling to make sure something wouldn't fall on top of her.

It wasn't easy, scampering like that, but eventually, she could feel the cold of outside on her. A little after that, she wasn't stepping on cold hard stone, but snow. And then, the sun. Sailor Moon could see the sun. She wasn't sure how it made her feel, she was still all alone.

She looked at the Crescent Moon Wand in her hand. Her friends, people she cared for immensely, all died to protect this. It happened in the past, and it happened now.

Part of Sailor Moon wanted to curse at it, but she knew how pointless that would be.

She could still feel the ground rumble and part of it started to sink. The base was collapsing. Where was Tuxedo Mask? The entrance behind her collapsed into a giant sinkhole, there was no way she was going back in that way.

He knew the base, though. He knew where to go to chase down Beryl. And his powers were similar to Jedite's when he was brainwashed, and Jedite could teleport. How else could he have gotten to and from Tokyo under Beryl's control: Jedite couldn't teleport other people with him.

She turned from the sinking hole. So that was it. Beryl was gone, Metallia buried under a pile of rock. And all of her friends, too.

Before she could spend another moment grieving, Sailor Moon felt a presence. A dark, evil presence. While it was Raye and Jedite who were sensitive to that, even she couldn't deny this one.

The snow in front of her erupted like a geyser into the sky, far enough away from Sailor Moon so that it only affected her by with a light dust of snow. Once the eruption settled, Sailor Moon could see someone standing, tall and imposing, in the center of it. She moved towards it, eager to see if it was Tuxedo Mask.

But, her heart faltered when she got closer, and saw that it was not him, or any man. It was Queen Beryl, who didn't look to be injured at all from either Jedite or Tuxedo Mask's attacks. Beryl locked eyes with Sailor Moon, and the scout could see that Beryl did not look different, except for her eyes. They were focused, determined, unfeeling.

"I knew you'd be out here." Beryl spoke. There was no rage in her voice, but a quiet, cold statement of fact.

"You're still alive."

"I almost wasn't. Queen Metallia gave me the power to continue. Or rather, I took it from her."

"You...what?"

"She betrayed me first." Regardless of whether or not it was true, why was Beryl talking to her?

"She tried to take my body for her own use, but I managed to keep her...suppressed. You speak only to Beryl, Princess Serenity, or Sailor Moon. Whatever I should call you."

"How..." Sailor Moon was actually nervous. According to what both Jedite and Luna had told her, Queen Metallia was so powerful that only the full power of the Silver Crystal could be used on her, and that was only a seal. Beryl was more powerful than that?

"It truly doesn't matter. It was a lesson I had to learn, from someone I thought could teach me nothing. How strange the whims of fate. But, Jedite is not with you? It must have been too much for him. Even he has his limits. Everything started to fall apart with him."

"You blame him for your plans. You're full of evil, it was going to happen to begin with?"

"Blame Jedite? No longer do I think such a way. In fact, were he still alive, I'd have to thank him before destroying him. He taught me the true power of will, the ability to endure and overcome all hardships. It's how he survived, and how I did against my final betrayal. We're not so different, he and I. Or you."

"You're nothing like me! Or him! You're a cruel heartless monster who would crush anyone to get what she wanted."

"You would crush me to get yours." Beryl returned. "So would he. I don't criticize, but I am not the same as I was not short hours ago. Nothing will hold me back from the world I want, and the only thing that could stand in my way now is you and that crystal. No one alive anymore possesses the will to match me."

"I do." Sailor Moon answered without hesitation. She gripped the Crescent Moon Wand. Tightly, and she was ready for battle.

"I'd expect nothing else from you. You've seen the same lessons from him. But I teach you the meaning of fear." And Beryl launched an energy attack so massive it made every hair on Sailor Moon's body stand on end.

Sailor Moon felt the energy envelop her, but she didn't feel any pain. The Silver Crystal emitted an energy she'd felt only a few times before, and when it faded, she was no longer Sailor Moon. Her fuku was her gown, a crescent moon symbol glew in her forehead where her tiara once was.

The energy of the crystal drove back Beryl's attack, prevented it from hitting her. Beryl stopped from a second, and, for what seemed like an eternity, the two women locked gazes. The whole of the world was in this moment. Two women at the top of the world, wills and power locked in eternal struggle.

But perhaps even that was not true, for Princess Serenity knew it wasn't just her will. She carried with her the countless wills of those who followed her, those who believed in her, and those who wanted to believe.

And then, Beryl attacked again, in a strike more massive. But Sailor Moon kept the crystal level, she did not flinch. And it's power resonated again. Concentrating, she kept her will focused, eyes locked on Beryl.

"_We are here for you." _The voice of Sailor Mercury, calm and level, sounded in Sailor Moon's mind.

"_Of course we're by your side." _Sailor Mars, fiery and strong, came next.

"_Now, then, and forever." _Joined quickly by the voice of stern Sailor Jupiter.

"_No way we'd back down." _Cheerful and exuberant, but no less strong, sounded Sailor Venus. Sailor Moon looked beside her, and could not see anyone. But she could feel them. Feel the warmth of others beside her, their arms supporting and beside her. She felt the Scouts.

_"__Deep breaths, my love. In and out. We'd never leave you." _She could hear Tuxedo Mask's voice too.

"_True leaders and soldiers never fight alone. You showed me that." _Jedite's voice. She could hear his too. All of her allies, her soldiers, were fighting beside her.

The power of the Silver Crystal gave her the power to make her greatest wish a reality. And Sailor Moon could feel it, the crystal in her hands, it emitted a power like nothing she'd felt before. Stern and harsh, but gentle and nuturing.

"_Imperium Silver Crystal, grant me the power of my greatest wish." _Sailor Moon thought.

"Cosmic Moon Power!" At Serena's commanded, an immensely powerful pink light emitted from the crystal with an overwhelming force, that pierced Beryl's attacks as if they were paper. Covered in the light, Beryl didn't even scream. Perhaps she never had the chance. When it faded, there was nothing in front of Sailor Moon

"_I wish..." _Sailor Moon thought. "_My greatest wish...is for my allies, my friends. Everyone. Those who gave their lives for this world, those who fought for this world, those who wanted this world as it was, I wish for them to have it. A new life, in the world...we...fought...for." _The light of the Silver Crystal continued to glow, and all of Sailor Moon's vision became a bright pink light.

And then, she felt as though she was falling. And then, nothing else.


	173. Epilogue: Part 1

"Late! Late! Late! Late! Late!" Serena screamed as she ran through the house in record time, waking up Luna, who was lightly napping on her bed.

"_Eugh, some things never change." _Luna thought. On that day the scouts left to fight Queen Beryl, Luna and Artemis had both stayed behind. They weren't in communication with her the whole time, but Luna had been very worried. Just as the sky started to get dark, however, Luna saw a haze in the sky, like a pink aurora. After she saw it, Luna felt very sleepy for some reason, and curled up for a catnap. But a catnap became a long nap, and she woke up the next day. And Serena was rushing through to get to school as if it had been any other day.

Luna was relieved at first. Until she noticed something else. When Serena was downstairs trying frantically to cram some food in her gullet, Luna looked in her purse and saw that the Crescent Moon Wand, and the Silver Crystal, weren't there anymore.

And more importantly, when the two were alone, Serena never acknowledged that Luna could talk. She just treated her like any ordinary housecat.

Curious, she went to go see Artemis, who had told her the same thing: Mina didn't react to him either. He'd even gone towards the Hikawa Shrine to see Raye, she didn't as well. While all of the girls looked well, they were just normal girls.

"Is this the power of the Silver Crystal?" Artemis had asked, and Luna had no answer. Only Sailor Moon could answer that question, she was the only one who could wield it. But, if what Queen Beryl had mentioned in that standoff with Jedite was true, it's true power granted Sailor Moon her greatest wish. Was this her greatest wish, to be normal again? Perhaps, it sounded like a wish she'd make.

For now, Luna would wait, and think. If she just revealed herself as a talking cat, the human Serena might freak, just like she did the first time. And the world was at peace, several days went by and there wasn't a peep from Queen Beryl or anything else.

Serena's family was camped in front of the television while her father read the newspaper.

"Ooh, I love this show." Serena giggled, just as she always did when she was happy. In a way, Luna was glad she seemed so well-adjusted. Queen Serenity's greatest wish was that the Sailor Scouts could live free lives, away from strife and conflict, even though she probably knew that wouldn't be possible. It was the nature of defenders to defend, and that's what the Sailor Scouts were.

* * *

So Luna took a look at the TV, and saw three people on screen. One woman facing the camera, and another woman and a man in a hat facing the other way.

"My Brenda was such marvel." The woman facing the camera was older, and had tears in her eyes. "So...vibrant. She wrote about everything, everything under the sun. So creative."

"Creative? I see. That sounds familiar." The camera cut to the second woman, who was slightly younger and dressed in a gray business dress.

"Did she meet any new people recently, change in lifestyle habits?" The camera did not cut to the man, but he spoke next.

"She...talked about meeting a new boyfriend. She told me his name was Daniel and gushed on and on, but I didn't like him." The first woman stated.

"Did you meet him?" The second woman continued.

"No, Detective, not once. But the way Brenda talked about him, you'd think there was no one else in the world. She...only wanted to be around him, he had to give her drugs or something."

* * *

"Oh, I love this show!" Serena squealed. "The lead guy is so hot!" Luna was distracted by Serena, and missed the next part of it.

"I do like it when they go for the serial murderers over a few episodes than the one-episode shots." Her mother quickly followed.

"I see you making goo-goo eyes at him too." Serena's father looked up from the newspaper.

"Jealous, sweetie?" She teased, but gave him a kiss.

"Ewww..." Sammy looked away, and Luna returned to the television. The camera was now focused on the second woman, who was called Detective, and the man, also dressed in conservative business attire. He was taking off his hat and soon, his arms weren't blocking his face.

He started talking to the female detective, but Luna couldn't pay attention to the words. Hair to toes, he looked exactly like Jedite did when he was disguised as a human.

"_Precinct 52_ will return after this." A tagline marking the start of commercials sounded.

"_Of course." _That was the name of the show Jedite worked for. Why wouldn't he return there? But he'd go back there without checking in with Luna? He was not like the girls. They transformed into the Scouts, but they were otherwise completely human. Jedite was not. Further, he was always the responsible one, and he would have checked in with the Scouts, or Luna. And Serena hadn't gushed about meeting him. And if he was her favorite actor, she'd do that.

Luna wasn't going to figure anything out here. The next day, she'd go and see.

* * *

Luna knew where Jedite's apartment was, and could make it there quickly. She could see movement through the windows, so she camped out on the fence nearby to get a good view. Eventually, she saw the front door of the complex open and out he stepped.

His hair was black, which he used for his role. And he had large sunglasses, a trait that he picked up to help himself go incognito.

Luna made a large meow when he got close, and he stopped to look around. He saw Luna, and pulled down his sunglasses, where Luna could see his eyes. Those same purple eyes.

"Hello, little cat." Jedite greeted. No mention of Luna, or the fact that she could talk.

Luna leapt down to the sidewalk. Jedite laughed a bit.

"Out without your owner, or are you an orphan?" He questioned rhetorically.

"Ah, you have a collar. Someone must be looking for you." He bent down to pet Luna as she rose her paw towards him.

"Erm." One of her claws punctured Jedite's hand slightly, and he grunted.

"Better file those down." He told Luna. "But farewell, little cat. I've got a lot to do, and you have a family to get back to. Don't leave them alone." And Jedite pushed his sunglasses back to his face, and walked away.

Nothing. No recognition from Jedite either. He didn't remember either? The only other person to try would be Tuxedo Mask, Darien, but Luna didn't think Darien knew she could talk: That wouldn't help her out at all.

Luna turned to go towards Mina's home, where Artemis was. He should know this too. She put her paw in front of her to walk, and noticed one claw was slightly discolored.

"_Oh, right. Jedite cut his hand." _Luna thought. But she looked at her claw very closely, and saw on the end, it was colored a dark red.

Jedite's blood was green, Luna remembered it very clearly. It was red now. Red, like a human's.

* * *

He was known to the world as Harvey Sigurd. He played Detective Flannigan, the Shikoku Storm, on the successful show _Precinct 52. _But that wasn't who he was. His name was plain and unassuming, Jed Hanson. His life was not as glamorous as his character, he lived alone in an apartment, didn't have many friends, and was very shy.

Jed couldn't wrap his mind around his fame most days. Sometimes he felt like screaming at the world. But there were worse fates, much worse fates, and Jed knew that, for all his awkwardness, his life was privileged.

Jed sat in the doctor's office, inhaling deeply as his doctor listened to his chest and back with his stethoscope. He let the doctor check his eyes, ears, and all of the other things required for a physical.

"All right, Jed, all finished. You can get dressed." The man smiled at him.

"Thank you." Jed stated politely, and started to put his pants on.

"You're as healthy as they come, Jed." The doctor praised. "I wish half my patients were in as good shape as you."

"I try." Jed smiled.

"Nothing unusual except for those scars." The doctor pointed out, and Jed looked down. His chest, back, whole body was covered in a number of scars. According to the doctor, they were less than a year old, and came from something with a great amount of shrapnel and heat. An explosion.

"Well, nothing I can do about those." They weren't causing him any physical problems, blood work came back normal, and most women called them sexy. It just made Jed blush even more.

"And you still don't remember how you got them?" The doctor asked concernedly.

"No." Jed replied. "According to the newspapers, the only large explosion near here was the airport several months ago. But I don't remember it at all. I don't remember any of it."

"Nothing?" The doctor asked.

"Before that, no. Just...just some flashes of impossibly long, red hair." Jed answered. His memory after that wasn't much better: Part of the reason he stuck with his life despite how awkward it made him feel was that he didn't know anything else: As far as he knew, he dropped into the world during the explosion, somehow became an actor, and the rest was history. The man with the mysterious past may have been a cliché, but it was life for Jed.

"You...haven't thought to see a psychiatrist?" The doctor asked. Jed finished putting his shirt on.

"I wouldn't know what to tell him. Though, for right now, I don't need to know it. I am who I am now. I'll remember in time, maybe." Jed shrugged, adjusted his clothes, and bid the doctor a farewell. There were times when the lack of knowledge of his past weighed him down, but Jed wasn't too concerned most times. That was the past, and who he was then had nothing to do with who he was now. Besides, he had something important to do today.

A visit to the hospital. There was a man there named Darien Shields, his neighbor in the apartment complex, and he had no family, according to the landlord. Jed wasn't sure if the two men had ever met, he couldn't trust his memory too well having so much of it a blank, but being alone was not a good thing.

He smiled to the receptionist at the hospital, signed her an autograph, and was quickly invited to visit.

"_There are times when being famous is helpful." _Jed thought with a chuckle as he was lead to Darien's room. He didn't look in bad shape, but, according to the nurse, he had no memory of anything that happened before he arrived here.

"_That sounds familiar." _Jed thought, and greeted him. They talked cordially for a time, and Jed was surprised how comfortable he was around this guy. Perhaps they were friends, and bad memory made fools of them both.

After a short time, Jed knew he had to get back to filming, bid Darien farewell, and went on, one step forward, to the next part of his life.


	174. Epilogue: Part 2

"That's...that's what happened, then." Sitting back at the temple, with all of her friends, It was still hard for Raye to wrap her mind around this previous hour, but when that black cat with the crescent moon on her forehead starting talking, it made her think she was going mad.

Not that the things that happened before that made much more sense. She was selected to take part in a TV show, and, while it wasn't _Precinct 52 _or another show like that, it looked to be fun. And it was, until a giant crazy bull-monster starting attacking. She'd never seen anything like that before, and tried to get all of the other girls, a motley crew of other schoolgirls, out to safety. However, when that proved to be difficult, Raye came up with an idea on the fly to attempt to use one of her ofuda. It seemed more beast than man, and if worse came to worse, it would be a distraction so the others could escape.

It worked a little, it actually stunned the creature. And then Lita, the big girl with the ponytail, actually picked up and threw the monster into one of the sets. Raye liked it, that girl was definitely a fighter. But as she did so, she felt...oddly nostaglic. She'd never encountered monsters or anything like that in her life, and never met this Lita girl before today. But both things...seemed familiar.

When the monster got back up, Sailor Moon, the hero, attempted to fight it, but things didn't go well for her. When Raye moved to assist was when that talking cat spoke to her. And after Raye shut her eyes and tried to think, she began to remember. Remember who she was, who the other girls were. What they did, what they accomplished, and what they would need to do right now.

"Mars Fire Ignite!" The words sounded a little strange coming out of Sailor Mars's mouth, but she'd get used to it. It was like that before too.

"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" The two girls combined their attacks and zapped the bull-monster into dust.

"Not as strong as before." Sailor Mercury remarked. "This must be a different sort of enemy. That sort of planning was best left to Amy: She was the best at it.

"I'm sure this is very difficult to understand." After this battle, the Scouts all went to the Hikawa Shrine, hoping they could put together this puzzle of what happened to them during the final battle with Queen Beryl.

"So the wish you made was that all of us who fought for the world would be able to live in it?" Lita asked.

"Wow, I feel special." Mina chuckled, and her much needed levity did help Raye comprehend what happened better.

"So, like Amy said, perhaps this is another sort of enemy, one who uses energy for it's own purpose." Luna elaborated. "We should continue as we used to do, gather research, confront the enemy and defeat them, just as we defeated Queen Beryl."

"Yeah." Lita punched her fist into her hand. "We're not letting anyone get their hands on this world. We fought tooth and nail for it."

"All right, let's reconvene tomorrow. We've got a lot of work to do."

"Wait!" Mina called out. "Whatever happened to Tuxedo Mask? And Jedite?" Raye had thought about those, they'd been on her mind once the battle was over and she could think complex thoughts. But she kept them to herself, she wasn't sure exactly what to think.

"Well, Harvey Sigurd is still on _Precinct 52."_ Lita shrugged. "And his real name is Jed Hanson, just like he did before when he pretended he was human. Hey, it's on right now." Raye turned on the small television, and sure enough, the show was running a repeat special. It normally premiered on Mondays, but they showed a rerun on Thursday of that episode for those who missed it.

"Darien I'm not sure of, but I saw Jedite a few days ago." Luna explained. "He looks normal, just like you girls did before I used my powers. Except that he was completely human, I saw a cut he had on his hand, and the blood was red."

"Human? That's odd." Amy started to think. "It's not like Serena wished for that specifically when she unleashed the power of the Crystal."

"The crystal is a mystery even to me." Luna explained. "I only know so much, and it's always been rumored to have a will of it's own. He fought for the world, so by Serena's wish he would return, but why as a human?" Only the Crystal could answer that, and not only was that lost, but it wasn't as if the Crystal could speak.

"In the meantime, we need to deal with these new villains. Let's reconvene tomorrow here and work out a plan." Luna assented. "Serena should be finished helping Molly, I'll need to get back." Luna leapt up to the windowsill and disappeared into the blackness. The other scouts didn't feel like moving just yet.

"If Jedite was reborn like us, does that mean he doesn't remember anything?" Raye asked.

"We didn't, so I'd say no, but who knows for certain." Amy replied very politely, and Raye didn't know how to feel about that. If she was right, then Jedite's life was one of freedom. He no longer had to carry the burden of guilt from who he was, the things he did, the scars he would never escape from. But he would have forgotten the friends he made here, the glorious battles he proved his mettle in.

And her, Raye. The way she felt about him was coming back to her, and while he put his duty first, he had told her he would have be happy with her. She could barely remember Jedite the super-villain, Queen Beryl's little toady. She could only remember her love for him.

"Would Luna's power even work on him anyway?" Mina asked. "He's a different guy now, isn't he? "

"We shouldn't do it." Raye said, somewhat quietly.

"Raye?" Lita asked. Raye watched Jedite on the screen. He was a fluid actor, moving from his lines elegantly, but he had a smile on his face. How long had it been since Raye ever saw him smile? Whenever she looked at him, he always looked so sad.

"Queen Beryl's gone, Luna said. And so is that other one, Queen Metallia. These new guys...they aren't his problem."

"He was still our friend." Amy remarked, and that was true. Jedite didn't have many people in the world, and he'd have less now. It wasn't like the girls had new friends after the Silver Crystal's power was used.

"I think Raye's right." Lita shrugged. "We really can't make a decision like that for him. I mean, we were in trouble and that monster was around, but this is different for him. He has a different life now, and unless it's absolutely vital we should let him be."

"Yeah." Amy remarked. "I think that would be best." So did Raye, but she kept it to herself. She looked over at Lita, and caught only the slightest nod, almost imperceptable. It was Lita who first told Raye to make a move, or else she would. Raye gave a slight nod back. Then, the girls started to leave, until Raye was alone.

Jedite didn't remember the way he made her feel, or the way she made him feel, and it tasted like ashes. But she knew this was right. Being a Sailor Scout meant a life upended and being thrown into constant battle. Raye was okay with this, so were the others. And Jedite, with his telekinesis and slew of other powers, would have been as well. But he was Jed Hanson now, just a normal person. Whatever telekinesis or whatever powers he may have had may not exist anymore. He was a normal person, with a normal life. What Sailor Scouts fought to protect.

It was better to be heartbroken then to be cruel.

* * *

The next day, the only work plans Jed had was a photo shoot for some print ads. So he could go see Andrew, his friend at the arcade, before things got crazy. But apparently, Andrew had taken the day off. His girlfriend, Rita, researching in Africa, was going to call today, and then he would go see Darien at the hospital. How he managed to find time to keep up with all his friends boggled Jed's mind, but the life of a med student and the life of an actor were different things.

So Jed thought he'd go see Darien too. The doctor's were optimistic about Darien's physical recovery, but his memory may never return.

"_Know what that's like, buddy."_ The scars he couldn't remember never bothered Jed personally: They didn't ache even if he pressed them, although he didn't normally do that anyway. It was the wondering of the what was that bothered him sometimes.

He was early for the bus, so he decided to ascend the steps to the nearby Hikawa Shrine. A praying man Jed was not, but that didn't mean he would turn away divine guidance. On the top of the steps, a young woman in traditional clothes swept the grounds.

"Hello." Jed called, and the woman nearly froze in her tracks. That always seemed to happen, everyone loved a celebrity.

"Good...Good afternoon." The girl stammered, and Jed tried not to laugh. He was so used to it he always laughed, but it was still impolite.

"I was hoping I could pray a moment. May I?" He asked politely.

"Of course...sir." The girl was still nervous, but led him to the shrine.

"So, what brings you here today?" The girl asked pleasantly.

"A friend. He's in the hospital and I'm visiting." Jed answered the girl's question, but in the back of his mind, he kept quiet. This girl, shrine maiden. He was sure he'd never met her before. But was that truly the case? Jed knew better than to trust his own memory, but when he looked at her, he couldn't help but feel...as if he'd known her.

But he kept that to himself. He didn't want this girl to think he was crazy, asking random questions out of the blue. He only smiled at her, and then he prayed. It didn't take long, and Jed knew he had to make his bus.

But a part of him, a good part, wanted to remain a little longer.


End file.
